Archaeologists from the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and the University of Münster have discovered the remains of a previously unknown early Christian church in the ancient city of Artaxata. The find consists of an octagonal building with cruciform extensions. The team excavated parts of the church and studied it using geophysical methods.

An interdisciplinary centre for empire studies, the ‘Centre for Empire Studies: (Post-)Colonial Histories and Global Entanglements’, has been established at the Department of History of the University of Münster. A public, English-language conference with Münster academics and international guests will be held on 10 and 11 October to mark the opening.

The IMAS Master programme has been offered at the University of Münster since 2010. It is particularly interesting for students who have completed a Bachelor's degree in German Studies, History or Latin Philology, for example. The aim is to impart competences in mediaeval and cultural studies. “We are convinced that it is important to shed light on medieval cultural history in an interdisciplinary way,” emphasises Prof. Dr. Karl Enenkel, director of studies and holder of the Chair of Latin Philology of the Middle Ages and Modern Times.

Perspective, gaze, observation: the very way art historians talk about their subject shows which of the five senses is essential to their work. “Precise, comparative seeing is our main method,” emphasises Prof. Dr Ursula Frohne, “it is the origin of our subject.” But seeing is also power, says the art historian, historically manifested, for example, with the “divine eye” or the so-called “panopticon”. The constant surveillance associated with it is also a theme of contemporary art, for example in Bruce Naumann's “Surveillance Corridors”.

The Rectorate of the WWU has been supporting the Topical Programme "Time & Artefact" since last year. 25 academics from different disciplines in the humanities and cultural sciences, such as classical studies, musicology, philosophy and social and cultural anthropology, want to create a platform whose work deals with different forms and aspects of artefacts. What opportunities does cooperation beyond one's own disciplinary boundaries offer?

The images of the severe earthquakes in south-eastern Turkey on 6 February are shocking. Thousands of people lost their lives. In view of the acute humanitarian catastrophe, questions of cultural heritage protection have so far taken a back seat. With the project "Cultural Heritage in Danger", researchers from the Asia Minor Research Centre want to support the local authorities in documenting the condition of cultural monuments in the province of Adıyaman.