It begins slowly with stone age tools, found in the East Harbor area of Frankfurt, moving up to Celtic items found in the Frankfurt City Forest, and then explodes with the myriad finds from the Romans. The Romans had an outpost watching the Main River located right in front of the Dom, as well as a huge garrison in the neighborhood of Heddernheim along the Nidda river, a villa in Nordwest Stadt and forts and fortifications all along the Taunus mountains. Seems like they left a ton of stuff behind and you can see it all in the museum. I especially like the huge stone carving dedicated to Mithra, who had quite a cult following among Roman soldiers. They have a lot of soldier artifacts, which should thrill any historian, along with a re-creation of a villa room that they found.
In the chapel area, the museum presents all the many finds from the first pre-middle age settlement located up on the Dom hill. The palace, the church, burial goods from a high-born, nameless little girl who died in 680 & found buried in the Dom and lots of other items from this era. Make sure to sit down and watch the video about the palace that was once located in front of the Dom beginning in 600's. It switches to English and it is amazing to watch the computer generated architecture. A bit of a mix between Christian and Pagan items can also be found here in this section. There is also a display of items from the Jewish Ghetto and in the Cloister section, row after row of pottery.
The museum is 2 blocks from the Römer, one street up from the river. Almost behind St. Leonhards.
Address is Karmelitergasse 1 Phone: (069) 212-35896
Hours: T, Th, Fr, S, Sun. 10:00-17:00
Mon.- Closed
Wed. 10:00-20:00
Last Sat. of the month is free as this is SATOURDAY (not in Aug.)
Adults - 7 €
Kids 6-16 - 3.50 €
The website is outstanding as well as in English and has some nice photos too to give you a sample of what awaits you. The museum offers concerts throughout the year, so check their website. They also offer workshops and lectures, though these will be in German. While you are there, make sure you go next door to the City Archives and view the Jörg Ratgeb frescos covering the walls of the Cloister. These were painted between 1513-1521 and are fascinating in their detail. It is free.
www.archaeologisches-museum.frankfurt.de
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