News
9 May - 29 July 2019
One hundred years of academic archaeology in Poznań which falls in 2019 is an important anniversary. It is an opportunity to look back at the past, to reflect more deeply on "where our lineage comes from". But it is also a good moment to look at our current activities and, perhaps most importantly, to make plans for the future.
The exhibition is aimed to show the whole variety and wealth of scientific and didactic achievements of the archaeologists from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan at this special moment in our history.
The exhibition and the accompanying publication show yet another value of our academic centre: its interdisciplinarity. In this respect, we are faithful to the tradition of Professor Józef Kostrzewski in an unambiguously creative way, for we have developed a collaboration with other branches of science in many fields. The most important of these are geophysical and aerial surveys, geoarchaeological methods, taphonomy, use-wear and X-ray analyses materials. Our staff contribute to international and interdisciplinary research teams in various parts of the world.
We are writing these words at a crucial moment for the future of academic archaeology in Poznan. We are not yet sure in which organisational form we will find ourselves in a few months. It is very likely that at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan an archaeological unit will be established with such autonomy as it has never had before. This would be a great opportunity and certainly a great challenge for our discipline.
Today we do not have such a great authority among us as Professor Józef Kostrzewski 100 years ago, who was solely on his own when shaping academic "prehistory". Now the Institute of Archaeology is made up of a team of well-established and younger researchers, who rightly aspire to take up new challenges. Surely this is a good prospect for the centuries to come...
From the introduction to "Skarby czasu. Badania Instytutu Archeologii UAM w Poznaniu" (Treasures of time. Studies of the Institute of Archaeology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań).
Janusz Czebreszuk Hanna Kóčka-Krenz
