Africa is the site of the longest history of the habitation of human beings and their ancestors on our planet. It was on the African continent that human history began, with new cultural techniques and strategies of subsistence then being disseminated throughout the entire world. Africa as a continent boasts a fascinating diversity in terms of its natural environment. Human beings in Africa have had to constantly adapt to (environmental) changes and develop new strategies for survival. Such experiences of adaptation are more important today than ever. Archaeological finds and historical visual and written sources offer insights into the arts, crafts, technologies and environmental conditions of bygone eras and provide evidence of dialogues that were maintained across large geographical distances. Excavations at different settlement sites have uncovered urban structures that were contemporaneous with nomadic forms of life. This exhibition, supported by the Deutsche Forschgungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the German Federal Foreign Office has been developed in close consultation with partners in Africa, and there will be multiple corresponding projects at various locations in Africa.

A special exhibition by the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin in collaboration with the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut