Yes, I have to admit we're still in Passau, an old (very old) town on the Danube River in Germany. And I have to admit something else--I'm a sucker for museums that claim to have ancient artifacts that can give you--however slight--a glimpse into the past. Passau--once occupied by the Romans--has a history that extends back to 50 BC. So when archaeologists route around in the ground looking for remnants of this long storied past, they are bound to come up with just about anything.
Dan, I and Theo decide to visit the Veste Oberhaus, a history museum, which is on a hilltop fortress dating to 1219. It has an extensive collection of artifacts dating back to the beginnings of Passau.
The artifacts are organized from the earliest finds to the later finds. An early piece of pottery where you can see the intricate designs.An early nail:
Early gold coins:
An early statue of St. Stephen:
And what gets me super excited--one of the first original safety pins. I assume that Theo will be excited too. He is kind of into history. He knows what a safety pin is. But he barely gives it a second glance. Oh, yeah, he is one restless little guy. Museums are not his thing.
We move into the next section--all about war with the typical artifacts that you would expect to see if you know anything about ancient warfare: a suit of mail, helmets, decorated drums for the soldiers to march to, cannon balls, and a large assortment of rifles.
We realize at this point that we can't see the entire museum. It is just too big. We have to make choices. I love anything that reveals the social mores of the time.
"Wow, look at this," I say to no one in particular. Dan and I are facing one of the ways society punished people, especially women, when they gossiped, or stole, or did even worse. I try to imagine what that would have been like--forced to stand in a public square with that contraption around your neck and your hands.
In the next exhibit we are facing two horse statues pulling a cart with a passenger, representing the common mode of transportation. It is huge. I turn around to Theo to point it out. He's gone.
This is a fabulous museum, but it it not crowded. Maybe we've passed five people since we got inside. The museum leads you around from exhibit to exhibit. It is kind of like following the yellow brick road. Theo has to be ahead of us.
Of course. There he is staring up at what I would guess is his favorite exhibit. Two cat statues are facing each other and playing some kind
of board game--checkers? No, it has to be chess. Maybe living in the olden times wasn't so dull after all. Theo agrees.
