Temporary exhibitions prior to 2015
There is No Other! – Three unique treasures from the Budapest earth
22 October 2014 – 11 October 2015
Curator: Gábor Lassányi
Two-thousand-year-old human figures on a Celtic vessel, an exquisite Roman bronze oil lamp, and the masterpiece of an Italian potter from the time of King Matthias; the exhibition presents in detail three truly unique objects, which have been discovered in recent excavations in Budapest. The exhibition seeks to reinterpret these ancient artefacts with the help of modern graphic art and literary associations.
Click here to view the video reconstruction of the bronze oil lamp.
From ruin garden to archaeological park – Aquincum Museum 1894-2014
9 May 2014 – 31 October 2014
Curator: Paula Zsidi
The Aquincum Museum opened its gates to the public in 1894. Its main sights were the excavated and displayed central area of the Civil Town, and the building designed by Gyula Orczy to fit the Roman surroundings, which exhibited the discovered artefacts. The museum’s character – as a place of excursion at the edge of the city – changed significantly following the large-scale conservation of the ruins between 1968 and 1973 (according to plans by Ágnes H. Vladár, Gyula Hajnóczi and Gyula Istvánfi, and with the assistance of Klára Póczy). With the preservative and interpretive restoration, what was once an archaeological site received a new profile that met the requirements of the time. In the forty years since, expectations concerning museums and cultural heritage presentation have changed, as have the needs of visitors. In the last 20 years, the ‘classic’ ruin garden has expended, several new tourist attractions that fit the surroundings have opened, which have turned the area into an archaeological park. The exhibition follows the transformations of the ruin garden – according to the ever changing needs – around the 120-year-old Aquincum Museum and introduces possible paths of renewal through proposals submitted for a design contest. The design contest was organised in partnership with the Doctoral School of the Department of the History of Architecture and the Department of Public Building Design at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
“St Florian, the patron saint” (guest exhibition)
29 April 2014 – 31 October 2014
Curator: Paula Zsidi
St Florian, or Florianus, was a real historical figure. He was born around 240 and died a martyr on 4 May 304. He served as a centurion in the Roman army, where he converted to Christianity. During his service, he acted as a brave fire-fighter. In 303 under the Emperor Diocletian the persecution of Christians began once again, and since Florian openly confessed his Christian faith he was arrested, tried and sentenced to a painful death. With the exhibition we return to the roots of St Florian (Floranius) and the time when his legend began: the Roman period. We also visit Aquincum, where the first remains in the history of the fire-fighting in Hungary have been found.
The currents of the past – in pursuit of our underwater heritage (guest exhibition)
5 April 2014 – 27 April 2014
Curator: Paula Zsidi
The exhibition presents the most intriguing discoveries by river archaeologists of the Argonauts Research Team: hundreds of years old shipwrecks and other special finds. Our aim is to give some insights into the methods and secrets of the research and to show just how significant an impact the rivers had on the lives of the people who lived along them. The exhibition also showcases some of the results of marine archaeology with a Hungarian connection, highlighting the search for Austro-Hungarian shipwrecks in the Adriatic. The exhibition is all the more special given that the Hungarian Parliament passed Act IX of 2014, ratifying the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Tales of finds – Archaeological finds from a different perspective
12 October 2012 – 28 September 2014
Curator: Orsolya Láng
This exhibition may seem unusual at first sight since this time researchers at the museum – including archaeologists and conservators – put their favourite finds on display, some of which were still lying hidden in the museum stores. There are even some pieces where the function has only recently been worked out by archaeologists. The main goal of this rather subjective exhibition is to bring archaeology closer to the public through the finds and personal experiences of our colleagues. This time, 35 archaeologists and conservators from the museum will exhibit their favourite artefacts together with personal descriptions to shed light, not only on the history of the object, but also to give visitors a glimpse behind the scenes at the museum to learn why and how a certain object becomes a “favourite”. The exhibition will also hopefully demonstrate that working in a museum is not a hobby played in an ivory tower, but an exciting job that requires patience, is sometimes hard but always value-creating. This exhibition does not follow the usual chronological pattern: finds are grouped according to their function or topic. Thus, objects from both Prehistoric and Roman time periods connected to burials, religious cults, cosmetology, clothing or industry and commerce have been placed next to each other. Special finds on display include a Roman board game, a funerary inscription of an imperial litter-bearer, parts of a wagon, a Roman chamber pot, a nozzle from a Prehistoric furnace and a 5000-year old idol with a removable head. Several reconstruction drawings and portraits of the researchers with their favourite finds complete the exhibition. Last but not least Dear Visitor, we are really interested in Your Opinion: which is your favourite find and story in this selection? Let us know what you think in the “Top 10” game…
There is something new under the ground…A selection of the most beautiful finds of 2010” – Old sites, new results
15 April 2011 – 25 March 2012
Curators: Orsolya Láng, Gábor Szilas
The Budapest History Museum’s Aquincum Museum puts on display for the 15th time the most beautiful and most significant archaeological finds from the previous year. Archaeological excavations in the Hungarian capital have a history of over 120 years of unearthing the remains of Budapest’s past, providing a growing body of sources for a more complete understanding of the history of the city and its environs. This was no different in 2010, when – in spite of the recession – we were able to increase our knowledge of not only the city’s historical centre but also large parts of the outskirts as well, building on the results of previous research. We unearthed new parts of the Aquincum Civil Town’s so-called ‘House of the painter’, the southern town wall and a cemetery (at the former Gasworks). We also found the third – previously unknown – member of the 4th century network of watchtowers along the Danube in Óbuda that belonged to Pannonia’s border defences. In 2010 we gained new information concerning the prehistoric, Roman, Migration period and mediaeval settlement history of the Danube bank by Budatétény and Szigetszentmiklós and the northern slope of Csúcshegy-Harsánylejtő. The new finds include fragments of a 7000-year-old face pot and a clay figurine (idol), glass vessels, jewellery, brooches (fibulae), coins, lamps and two mediaeval bronze headdresses. Providing glimpses into architectural skills and dwelling habits of the time are the reconstructions of Neolithic and Avar-period houses based on building remains unearthed in Növény Street (District XI.). One of the highlights of the exhibition is an entrance mosaic of a braid pattern from the governor’s palace in Óbuda. It had been discovered during the middle of the previous century, but it was restored last year: so after 40 years the general public can see the mosaic for the first time. Our Museum will in all likelihood continue expanding the knowledge concerning the history of Budapest in 2012, as it has every year since its founding.
There is something new under the ground…A selection of the most beautiful finds of 2009”
16 April 2010 – 31 March 2011
Curator: Orsolya Láng
“The novel of Aquincum’s archaeology”
15 April 2010 – 31 October 2010
Curator: Katalin Lengyelné Kurucz
“Culture of plants – Plants of culture” – Plants and culture in the history of Europe
21 May 2009 – 31 October 2009
Curator: Alice M. Choyke
That plants have always held an essential value for human life may be obvious, but nevertheless it is true. Despite this, in the IT- and technology-oriented societies of 21st century Europe, plants are largely disregarded. Most people are unaware of the role plant derivatives play in a number of their everyday activities, whether it’s baking a mouth-watering cake, sipping a favourite brandy, relaxing in a chair, or slipping on a pair of jeans. Nowadays, though, a great deal of ancient botanical ingredients has been replaced by artificial chemical products. We select our fruits unknowing whether they come from tall exotic trees or common low-lying shrubs; for this information is of no matter to us, modern-day hunter-gatherers, when we are searching for food in supermarkets as our ancestors once did in forests. Because of the decline in farming in many countries, and likewise the perception of seasonal rhythms (largely marked by plant life cycles), relative popular traditions are gradually disappearing. The outcome of this general loss of plant knowledge is that most people are no longer aware of the importance of plant use in their lives. Plants are generally perceived as limited to the realms of either ecologists or intellectuals and therefore any consideration of plant issues today is implicitly viewed as superfluous. Nevertheless, even today, plants provide for primary needs, such as food, medicine, clothing, tools, furniture and homewares, as well as social needs, such as body painting, make-up and ornaments, and are also common symbols and emblems. They have also always been employed in ceremonies and religious rites, thereby fulfilling transcendental needs. The aim of this pan-European exhibition, ‘Plants and Culture in the history of Europe’, is to show the importance of plants in building a European identity. As part of the European Culture Programme (2007-2013), a network containing dozens of researchers has been involved in a complex joint project to present a new and unique set of stories. These cover botany, archaeology, plant use throughout history, and popular traditions from eleven European countries, offering also a brief glance at European botanical history. The exhibition is based on the concept of Europe portrayed through plants, in the hope that the roots of our past become the seeds of our future.
There is something new under the ground…A selection of the most beautiful finds of 2008”
15 April 2009 – 31 March 2010
Curator: Orsolya Láng
The Budapest History Museum carried out nearly 50 excavations and more than 100 field surveys during 2008 connected to construction works throughout the territory of Budapest. The artefacts of the exhibition – now organised for the 14th time – cover 7000 years of history in the city from prehistoric times through Roman occupation down to the Migration period. The objects on display were selected by museum archaeologists from the more than 180,000 objects discovered in 2008 alone. Parts of a prehistoric settlement and cemetery were found on the Óbuda Danube bank; ceramic vessels, jewellery and other everyday objects from the site are on display. The fully excavated foundation of one of the settlement’s ancient dwellings is a true sensation that will also enable us to reconstruct the 7000-year-old building. Ongoing archaeological excavation by the museum connected to the construction of M0 orbital motorway around the Hungarian capital also continued in 2008. Beautiful vessels and dress objects from the Migration period cemetery as well as finds from the prehistoric settlement and cemetery are also on display this year. The most amazing find of the exhibition is a detail from a colourful mosaic pavement, the likes of which have not been found in the last 25 years of archaeological research in the city. In addition, visitors can also see newly-discovered and already-conserved wall paintings and other furniture from the Aquincum Military Town. This exhibition not only bears witness to the archaeologists’ efficient and professionally ambitious work that also takes into consideration the schedules of construction projects. In the display cases there is many a find that had lain unknown in the ground just a few months before the exhibition opened. It has taken the concerted efforts of our team of excavation assistants, draughtsmen, cameramen, conservators and museologists to transform the finds into the artefacts now on display. Their coordinated and effective work helped these records of Budapest’s past reach the city’s modern inhabitants. The unique archaeological finds discovered in 2008 demonstrate once again that there is always “something new under the ground”: the archaeological heritage of Budapest is particularly rich and surprises always await researchers and the public alike.
The empire of Venus and Hygieia – Beauty care in the Roman period
21 June 2008 – 31 October 2008
The ‘jurisdiction’ of the two ancient deities mentioned in the exhibition’s title gives it away that the Aquincum Museum once again puts the spotlight on the Roman private sphere. Literary sources and archaeological finds prove that both men and women placed great importance on their appearance and neatness. Visiting the baths was part of daily life, and the frequent use of perfumes is reflected in the large number of perfume flasks unearthed during excavations. Facial care, face painting, epilation and shaving were not unknown for the men and women of the Roman period. Beauty care also included the hair – fashionable hairstyles always followed the coiffure of the incumbent empress. The temporary exhibition aims to provide a glimpse into Roman beauty care with the help of finds discovered in Aquincum. In addition to bathing culture, personal hygiene, facial and hair care, the exhibition also introduces the world of jewelleries and fragrances, which enhanced the beauty of the wearer.
“There is something new under the ground…A selection of the most beautiful finds of 2007”
15 April 2008 – 30 November 2008
Curator: Orsolya Láng
The Budapest History Museum’s Aquincum Museum organises this traditional exhibition for the 12th time between 15 April and 30 November 2008. The exhibition in the main museum building presents the largest display yet of the archaeological finds unearthed in the previous year. The museum’s archaeologists have carried out 70 excavations in Budapest, from the Roman riverbank to the site of the former Skála shopping centre. The selection from the 200,000 discovered finds covers over 10,000 years of history from Prehistoric times through Roman occupation down to the Migration period. This year’s exhibition puts human depictions centre stage, displaying, among others, a prehistoric idol, face depictions on pottery, and Roman face pots. The highlight of the exhibition is a rare, life-size statue of a Roman solider with ornamental armour, unearthed in the western cemetery of the Aquincum Military Town. Furthermore, prehistoric and Roman pottery, glass vessels, metal objects and jewellery as well as ornate gravestone fragments are also on display. A games corner for children and a display with photographs from the excavations complete the exhibition. The excavations of 2007 have proven once again there is always “something new under the ground”: the archaeological heritage of Budapest is particularly rich and surprises always await researchers and the public alike.
