Der Bauchredner und seine Puppe. Archäologische Ausstellungen als 'Erzählung'

Abstract

Archaeological exhibitions are a genre of cultural historic learning in its own right. In these original exhibits play an integral part, as they seem to be authentic witnesses of the past – and therefore they provide strong evidence to underline cultural historic interpretation. It will be argued, that exhibits cannot fulfill their given role as crown witness. It is not the exhibits that create our pictures of the past, but those narratives underlying the exhibitions. No archaeological exhibition can escape its narrative. For two reasons it is relevant to look at exhibitions in a narratological perspective: 1. In their visibility narratives become discursive. 2. Narratives can be used purposeful to optimize popularization of historic knowledge in a critical sense.