Author Description

The history of Frankfurt am Main's Goethe University is reflected in its extensive study collections. Individu­al departments, the library, and the university ar­chives maintain approximately forty collections, some of which remain hidden away in attics, offices, and on basement shelves. As a whole, this multifaceted store of knowledge represents a kaleidoscopic history of the earth and humankind spanning 4.6 billion years. Thirty-four million sculptures, books, films, fossils, plants, and comic books-including items from fields such as medicine, archaeology, theater sciences, zool­ogy, and youth culture-are in part still actively inte­grated in teaching and research or now simply testify to the history of their respective disciplines. In cele­bration of the centenary of the university's founding, the catalogue presents a selection of these objects accompanied by vivid descriptions of their histories and also provides a look over the shoulders of various scholars involved in contemporary research. Exhibition: Museum Giersch, Frankfurt/Main 19.10.2014-8.2.2015