My 5 "activities" offer a "Time Travel" through the early stages of human civilisation, illustrating the respective phases with a particular example.

And here are the topics! Click on the pictures to jump directly to the one that interests you!

"'The Last of the Mohicans' - The Iroquois and the Kwakiutl - Northamerican Indians - or else: Cannibals and 'Noble Savages'"		"The Aztecs and the Inka - The Conquest of the New World and the Great Old Cultures Destroyed. "		"Troy - Bronze Age Heroes or The Vikings of Archaic Greece"		"Salammbô and the Godess of Carthage - Mercenaries, Merchants, Gods and Godesses of Cultures that ruled the Mediterranean."		"Ivanhoe - Castles, Knights, Jousts and Jews or: Panorama of medieval England at the Time of the Cruçades"

The basic pattern for all "activities" is the same: approaching the topic through several "media" that help the matter to become alive:

-  one or more "dramatic" feature films, "setting the scene"

-  an (introductory) conference backed up by a beamer-show (the beamer-show being a multimedia-presentation that can be used "interactively" by everybody on his/her own)

-  readings from intriguing topical texts, mostly historical novels, but also myths and passages out of scientific texts, backed up by "beamer-pictures" (maps, landscape, gods, heroes, portraits, artefacts, art.)

-  guided tours to fitting museums

-  art- or culinary activities, as you wish, like printing motives of the respective time on textiles, building models of architecture and/or cooking or just eating inspiring food

-  and possibly a real trip to an interesting place/region outside Berlin & Postsdam

The 5 "activities" I am tendering are as follows:

1. "'The Last of the Mohicans' - The Iroquois and the Kwakiutl - Northamerican Indians from Late Hunter-Gatherers to Early Agriculturalists - or else: Cannibals and 'Noble Savages'"

A) The Kwakiutl

Cultural stage: late hunter-gatherers

Region: west-coast of north-america

Film/s: In the Land of the War Conoes, Edward Curtis, 1914

Text/s: Die fremde Welt der Kwakiutl, Myths collected and published by Franz Boas and George Hunt

Museum/s: Ethnologisches Museum Dahlem 

Commentary: The Kwakiutl are a yet settled people of hunter-gatherers who knew already bronze for non-practical artefacts; however their civilisation is substantially a pre-neolithic one. Their myths (gathered by famous ethnographer Boas and his semi-indian assistant, who also helped with the film) explain their shamanistic and cannibalistic rites as well as their "hunter's mind". Dahlem shows their exeptional beautiful masks and totem poles. The film of the famous ethnographic art photographer Curtis - a silent movie - dramatizes their way of life and is still ethnologically correct.

Cultural stage: early agriculturalists

Region: wood-lands of north-america

Film/s: The Last of the Mohicans, Michael Mann, 1992, with Daniel Day-Lewis

Friday, 3.3.2006, GR 116, 15.55.

A great movie! Full of suspense, emotions, beauty and with some quite authentic scenes about indian life (close to nature). I'll give you some info on the historical and ethnological background (18th-century-wars, iroquois...).

Text/s: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Museum/s: Ethnologisches Museum Dahlem 

Commentary: The Iroquois already cultivated corn and squash. There is speculation about them being examples of early so-called "matriarchy" (with women indeed having great influence in every-day and political life). For marxists they are prototypes of tribal societies (Gentilgesellschaft) and for some Americans the spiritual fathers of the democratic constitution of the United States. They are also known for their particularly cruel torturing rituals.

Coopers classic novel will certainly get the attention of young students; so does the film. Which is why I would like to start with the Iroquois and then go backwards to the more "exotic" myths of the Kwakiutl.

I will dare to read the novel in my BBC-trained english which at least does not sound german.

I offer a visit to the Northamerican Collection of the "Ethnologisches Museum Dahlem".

2) "The Aztecs and the Inka - The Conquest of the New World and the Great Old Cultures Destroyed. "

A) The Aztecs

Cultural stage: chalcolithic (= late neolithic, early metall-age), early so-called "high culture" or "advanced civilisation"

Region: Middle America

Film/s: 1492 - Conquest of Paradise, Ridley Scott (the great master who made: Blade Runner, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven...), 1992, with Gérard Depardieu und Sigourney Weaver, approved from 15 years of age

Friday 17th of February, Movie-Room GR 116 (Elementary School), 10 th period (=15.55). You must be 12 or older (unsuitable passages will be jumped over). Duration: 160 Min.

Text/s: Die weißen Götter, Eduard Stucken, 1922

Museum/s: Ethnologisches Museum Dahlem

Commentary: Stuckens text, depicting the conquest of the Aztec empire by Cortez, is a great, scientifically correct, very enthralling novel (written by an Assyriologist); astonishing that it has never been turned into a film since it is already written like a movie. For want of this movie I suggest the still pertaining "1492", a great, "epic" movie about Columbus, apt to engage the public for the era. The Dahlem Aztec-Collection is one of the world's most impressive. My presentation will try to explain the basics of aztec civilisation, religion and ritual, including human sacrifices. I have some scientific texts in spanish students could read.

What's more: We participated in the multimedia-competition "Schule @ Museum". For this purpose - but not only - we presented our activity and our topics (Maya, Aztecs, Inka) on a special website: http://www.TimeTravelTeam.com/ethno (please click!). You will find lots of beautiful pictures, several videos, interesting texts, hear music and find interesting games...!

Cultural stage: very early Bronze Age

Region: South America (Andes)

Film/s: Der Zorn Gottes, Werner Herzog, 1972

Text/s: Das Gold von Caxamalca, Jakob Wassermann, 1928

Museum/s: Ethnologisches Museum Dahlem

Commentary: The (rather short) novel by Wassermann about the conquest of the Inka by Pizarro is a standard part of school repertory. Unfortunately again there is no movie concerning the topic directly. However Werner Herzogs film - starting in the mountains of Macchu Picchu - captures very well (for the slightly older ones) the gold fever and conqueror madness of the time. Dahlems South America collection is clear-cut but substantial in showing the stages of south american cultural development, from agricultural techniques over mummification methods to human sacrifices.

An Stelle des ausgepixelten Bildes rechts unten befand sich eine Darstellung der Stadt Troja, die der Grafiker Christoph Haußner angefertigt hat (> Website Haußner; ähnliche Bilder dort!). Bedauerlicherweise hat es Herr Haußner und sein Rechtsanwalt Karl-Michael Seum (Link auf öffentliche Kontaktdaten) für angemessen gehalten, einen 'kleinen' Tour-Guide mit einer Kostenforderung von rund 4.450,-- Euro für die Bildnutzung zu konfrontieren und mit weiteren Kosten zu drohen. Hilmar H. Werner ist dagegen der Ansicht, dass es legitim war und ist, das Bild als Zitat und künstlerisches Gestaltungsmittel nach §§ 51, 24 UrhG kostenfrei zu nutzen. Bis zur Klärung der Sache bleibt das Bild ausgepixelt. Wer ggf. ein Solidaritätsschreiben an die genannten Herren richten will, sei dafür im voraus herzlich bedankt!

3) "Troy - Bronze Age Heroes or The Vikings of Archaic Greece"

On Friday we'll meet at 16.00 in GR 116 (elementary school) to see the movie "Troy".

On Saturday we'll meet at 10.30 in GR 116 to get to know something about the culture of Troy and of the greeks of the time (mycenean age). We'll have pictures and lectures of Homer and time for questions.
   Please bring some greek food for lunch (tzatziki, olives, goat-cheese, bread, halwa, grapes, may be a bit of wine and what else you can think of...).

On Sunday we'll have our "Long Day of the Museums":

•  Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte
•  Antikensammlung, Altes Museum
•  Ägyptisches Museum (just a quick look)
•  Pergamon-Museum: Vorderasiatisches Museum

We meet at 10.00 in front of the "Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte". Please bring a little money for a modest lunch in "12 Apostel" (pizza?).

Cultural stage: Late Bronze Age, early Antiquity

Region: Greece, Asia Minor

Film/s: Troy, Wolfgang Peterson, 2004, licenced from 16 years of age (12 in the cut version)

Text/s: Ilias, Homer, Translation: Johann Heinrich Voß

Museum/s: Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte, Antikensammlung

Commentary: "Troy" is definitively a good starter for a more serious meal to come... If an action-film, it is still (IMHO) an intelligent, respectable adaptation of the Iliad, turning Achilles almost into an anarchistic pacifist (something you can read only between the lines with Homer). Well, reading the "Iias" in the grandiose language of Voß to pupils will be a challenging experience. But still worth while! We should show the movie and do the museum visits in the first third so that those who have less cultural stamina may possibly stay away. The Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte shows us Bronze Age weapons and the famous "Gold Treasure of Priam"! The Antikensammlung offers many pictures of the greek Heroes and Gods on vases. My presentation will try to show images of ancient every-day life (archaeologically correct, from NGM). With the lecture I shall show beamer-pictures of the ancient gods and explain them.  

4) "Salammbô and the Godess of Carthage - Mercenaries, Merchants, Gods and Godesses of Cultures that ruled the Mediterranean."

Cultural stage: early Iron Age

Region: North Africa, Carthage

Film/s: Salammbo, Sergio Grieco, 1960

Text/s: Salammbo, Gustave Flaubert, 1857

Museum/s: The Vorderasiatisches Museum (Pergamon-Museum) Commentary: The great Flaubert-novel introduces very well into late phoenecian culture including the cult of Moloch (where the patricians offered their children), the spiritual might of Tanit, the Great Goddess and the personality power of leading merchants in the early plutocracies (or timocracies, misleadingly commonly called democracies), who had invented the art of writing and reckoning but were also skilful sea- and war-farers. Griecos movie is a good old sandal-film with a touch of sixties-charm for the youngsters. Berlins most visited Museum offers a suitable and spectacular panorama of the middle eastern city cultures where the cradle of our civilisation stood. Again I will dare to read the novel in french (for my accent see above.), but only in part and with immediate translation (corresponding to the pupils endurance); the rest will be read in german.  

5) "Ivanhoe - Castles, Knights, Jousts and Jews or: Panorama of medieval England at the Time of the Cruçades"  

Cultural stage: late medieval "Castle-Era" and early "Polis-Era"

Region: England

Movie/s (If you want to know more on the movies, click on the titles):

-  Ivanhoe, Richard Thorpe, 1952, with Robert and Elisabeth Taylor

-  The Adventures of Robin Hood, Michael Curtiz, 1938, with Errol Flynn

-  Kingdom of Heaven, Ridley Scott, 2005, with Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson

If you want detailled historical background-information about the film, go to "Stifung Lesen" and download a very good pdf-document! A excellent overview of the Middle Ages on the net you'll find under www.lehenswesen.de.

-  El Cid, Anthony Mann, 1961, with Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren

- Andrej Rubljov, Andrey Tarkovsky, 1969

This Movie is cancelled, though it is an excellent movie, but it lets you experience the cruelty of live in medieval times, in which most of men were subject to the wanton violence of mightier ones, who could torture, maim and kill you at any moment, in such an authentic manner, that you feel very disturbed, frightened and shocked indeed.
   However the film does this not with lots of ketchup and explicit shots, which is why it is permitted for "12 and older". Despite this misguided official admission, I have decided, after having seen it many years ago in school as a 13th-grade student and remembering it as an excellent work of art and still, presumably, very authentic portrayal of the epoch, not to show it to 7th-graders, which are the core-group of this "activity".
   I recommend this film to you very strongly for a later point in your life! See it with someone you feel save with, and you will understand, what an achievement it was, that the english subjects finally attained in 1679 the "habeas-corpus"-right from their state, which meant that nobody, not even the king, could arrest or harm you without bringing you before a judge within three days, who was to try you in a lawful way ("habeas corpus" = "your body may belong to you"). And moreover you will find a lot of deep and doubtful reflections on christianity and art...
   As a replacement I will try to get (in time):

- The Lion in Winter, Anthony Harvey, 1968

This is an excellent movie about the intrigue of the sons of Henry II. and his wife, Eleanore of Aquitania, against their father, husband and king. It resulted in Richard the Lionheart becoming king of England. Gives a very realistic idea of how life was really like...
   Famous actors are: Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburne, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton.

- The Tragedy of Macbeth, Roman Polansky, 1971

"Macbeth", permitted for "16 and older", will possibly be shown during the trip, if parents allow it.

Text/s: Ivanhoe, Walter Scott, 1820

Museum/s: Skulpturensammlung (?), Märkisches Museum (?)

Commentary: Ivanhoe, Walter Scotts paradigm of all historical novels, offers a touching, yet realistic painting of the period, whoes most surprising trait is the prominent sympathy for the jews of the time. There are wonderful, classical movies at hand, illustrating the epoch. However Berlin is not at its strongest when it comes to the Middle Ages. We do not know if the Skulpturensammlung will be reopened early enough in 2006, and the rest is slightly rickety. So I'd like to suggest the adventure of a school outing. The novel will be read in english of course...  

"Medieval Trip": 2,5 days: Harz, Thüringer Wald, to see the medieval castles, towns, cathedrals and sculptures of the region (for an interactively illustraded view of the route click here! For pictures from the internet click here! For pictures, I took myself, click here!): 

1. Tag (Freitag, 2.12.):

-  Abfahrt von JFKS mit Bus: 16.00, Übernachtung in der schönen Jugendherberge Wernigerode

-  Film: "Andrej Rubljov" von Andrey Tarkovsky

2. Tag:

-  Halberstadt: Dom (hochgotisch, 13. Jahrhundert), Domschatz

-  Hamersleben: romanisches Kloster

-  Gernrode: vorromanische Klosterkirche

-  Quedlinburg: romanische Stiftskirche und mittelalterliche Fachwerkstadt 

-  Film: " The Tragedy of Macbeth" von Roman Polansky

3. Tag:

-  Burg Falkenstein (entstanden frühes 12. Jahrhundert, klassische Burganlage)

-  Stadt und Burg Querfurt: typische mittelalterliche Stadt mit Burg und hervorragendem Museum

-  Naumburg (Dom St.-Peter-und-Paul: großartige gotische Stifter-Figuren um 1250: Uta, Ekkehart u.a.)

-  Rückfahrt (zurück ca. 19.00)

If you want to see the exact timing click here!

Friends, Parents and teachers are welcome to join!

Costs for transport, accomodation and food will be between 100,-- and 200,-- per head, depending on the number of those who decide to join us (up to now we are a group of 11); if you take your own car - and invite somebody else to come with you - then costs are only 70,-- EUR. If you want a single room, you pay 10,-- extra, if a double 2,50 extra per person. The hostel has basic hotel-standard: showers/toilets in every room, nice view. Costs for entry-fees are not included.

You must decide and pay quickly, otherwise there will be no more beds left in the youth hostel!

Thankfully the preparation of the trip has been financially supported by the "Society of Parents and Friends of JFKS e.V.". If anybody else would like to contribute, we can possibly lower the fee for the trip. In case somebody wants to come but can not afford the trip, I will see if I can find money with our sponsors.

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Technical matters:

The 5 activities are supervised by 5 teachers, who thankworthily declared themselves ready to be responsible and to oversee everything, particularly activities outside the school. The five teachers are (in "civilisatory" order):

-  Mr. Bradley (Northamerican Indians - Cooper)

-  Mr. Martens (Azteken & Inka - Wassermann/Stucken)

-  Mrs. Wernstedt (Troy - Homer)

-  Mrs. De Tarr (Salammbo /Carthage - Flaubert)

-  Mr. Kelleher (Ivanhoe/Cruçades - Scott)

As to the time schedule:

For the museum visits: venues close at 17.00 or 18.00; one should have 3  hours there (1 - 1,5 hours guided, rest free in our company for questions), one hour is needed to go there, so one sould leave at 12.20 (at 13.25 at the latest).

We will have the first and second quarter of this school-year at our disposition.

Mr. Bakke is kindly prepared to help with media issues.

If interested and/or willing to help, please contact me soon under

0172 387 56 55 or

Kontakt@BluePlanetClub.de or

try and find me in the laboratory of the department of chemistry, W 214, or in the teachers room there (where you will find me usually between 10.00 and 16.00) or

leave a note in my "offical" box in the teacher's lounge under the "Vertretungsstundenbuch" (NW-corner). 

Thank You! 

Hilmar H. Werner