On Science Day, ROOTS presented geophysical devices and methods at the Wissenschaftszentrum (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

How can settlements from long ago be studied on a large scale without completely excavating their remains? What archaeological traces were left by conflicts in the past? What do we know about funerary customs in the Stone Age, or agriculture in the Bronze Age? All these questions were answered by researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS during the Science Day in the KielRegion on 29 September. Numerous visitors took the opportunity to find out about current research and methods in archaeology, as well as its related disciplines, at the Cluster's stand in the Wissenschaftszentrum and during a science show with four ROOTS doctoral students.

"Science Day 2023 has been a great success for us. We counted over 14,000 visitors at our 12 locations," explains Thomas Ehlert, project manager for Science Day at KielRegion. An assessment shared by the ROOTS team. "Of course, not all of these visitors were at the Wissenschaftszentrum, where our activities were concentrated. But from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. our tent was very well attended throughout," emphasises Dr. Andrea Ricci, the scientific coordinator responsible for public relations at ROOTS. "This proves that there is a lot of interest in our research. This has really motivated us to not only undertake further scientific work, but also to take part in events like Science Day in the future," he adds.

Background info to the Science Day in the KielRegion:
Science Day is the highlight of the Festival of Science in the KielRegion. It takes place in the context of the "European Researchers' Night", a science event that has been organised throughout Europe since 2005. Every year, on the last Friday in September, scientists invite you to research, experiment and discover. Further information is available at www.festival-der-wissenschaft-kielregion.de.
The project is funded by the European Union under the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON EUROPE under grant agreement no. 101061603.
 

Ulf Evert from the Graduate Centre at Kiel University opens the ROOTS Science Show.(Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

ROOTS doctoral student Anna K. Loy reports on how she researches conflicts archaeologically. (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

ROOTS doctoral student Sarah Bockmeyer talks about dealing with the dead in the Neolithic period. (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

ROOTS PhD student Ginevra Bellini is studying migratory plant species over the past 10,000 years.(Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

ROOTS PhD student Fiona Walker-Friedrichs investigates agriculture in the Bronze Age.(Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

Members of the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS from the "Applied Geophysics" working group explain to visitors which equipment they use to investigate sunken settlements. (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

 The direct-push system of the ROOTS cluster is an eye-catcher. (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

ROOTS engineer Clemes Mohr explains to visitors how the Direct Push system and a colour probe he developed can be used to examine different soil layers. (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)

In an interactive module, visitors can understand how sunken settlement structures in the Wadden Sea are made visible again. (Photo: Jan Steffen, ROOTS)