WHEN STONE WAS WORTH MORE THAN GOLD

WHEN STONE WAS WORTH MORE THAN GOLD | exhibition

July 3, 2026 – April 11, 2027

Exhibition curators: Andrea Dovicová, Jana Langová

1st floor, Building 14

• Oct 1 and Nov 26, always at 4:00 PM: guided tours of the exhibition with the curators for the public

Conscious use of tools is a fundamental human trait that distinguishes us from other animals. Stone was one of the first materials used by humans that has survived to this day. And it is precisely from stone that the entire Paleolithic period takes its name.

Where does the story of stone begin? Initially, it was exclusively stone tools that were usable in their natural state and were obtained by surface collection. After the depletion of resources, humans began to focus on certain rocks and minerals from specific localities that had suitable properties (especially cleavage, hardness) and could be flaked. These included especially silicates (cherts, flints, radiolarites, lydites, etc.), SiO2 minerals (quartz, crystal, opal), and natural glasses (obsidian, moldavite). Various tools were made from these modified materials, from hand axes, choppers, points, burins, to scrapers, awls, spearheads, etc. There is always room for improvement, and more refined chipped artifacts began to be accompanied by objects made using grinding techniques, later supplemented with drilled holes. Here, rocks come into play, for example, metabasites from the Jizerské Mountains, which, due to their properties, covered a significant part of Central Europe. The first farmers needed axes for building boats and houses! It is surprising that even though humans knew the technique of casting bronze, for a long time the first cast objects copied the shapes of perfect stone axes.

What stories do stone artifacts tell us? From individual finds, we read the technological processes by which objects were made (chipping, grinding, drilling) and infer their uses. The size of artifacts intended for hunting tells us the story of the size of hunted game, how it changed in species over time along with natural conditions. A forest hunter used different weapons and tools than the first farmer. Based on the raw material used for production, we infer the sources, which usually document regional and distant contacts with other communities. Stone artifacts in graves explain the social status of their owners.

The exhibition is divided into two parts. The interactive part of the exhibition invites visitors to become prehistoric people for a while and try working with stone tools. The atmosphere is evoked by a cave dwelling and the animals that inhabited the landscape. For the no less curious, there is the educational part. Artifacts from Moravian localities displayed in showcases are supplemented with samples of the stone that was used for their production. Information is then supplemented by panels on the walls.

Admission: CZK 69 basic, CZK 45 reduced, CZK 149 family

* ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMS FOR THE EXHIBITION:

Guided tours of the exhibition When Stone Was Worth More Than Gold:

• for employees: September 14, 2026, 10:00 AM, J. Langová, A. Dovicová
• for the public: October 1, 2026, 4:00 PM
• for the public: November 26, 2026, 4:00 PM

Lectures:

• About Amber from Študlov, A. Dovicová, October 15, 2026, 5:00 PM, on the 5th floor of Building 14

Few people realize that a treasure is hidden in the hills on the border with Slovakia in the Zlín Region! We will talk about an amber treasure 40 million years old.

• Stone Axes – Characteristic Tools of the First Farmers, A. Přichystal, November 5, 2026, 5:00 PM, Hall A of Building 15.

What the first farmers needed them for. Raw materials for their production and the occurrence of key metabasites in Bohemia and Moravia. Distribution of axes from our mining centers throughout Central Europe. In Western Europe, another raw material dominated - jadeitite. Experiments with their use. Surprisingly, even stone axes lived their own lives.

• Amber in Archaeological Finds, J. Langová, November 19, 2026, 5:00 PM, on the 5th floor of Building 14

The talk will be about exceptional archaeological finds of amber on the European continent from the Paleolithic to the Early Middle Ages.

International Archaeology Day | Saturday October 17, 2026; 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM,

1st floor in the exhibition When Stone Was Worth More Than Gold

• experimental archaeologist Martin Drahorát will demonstrate cutting metabasite, grinding, and drilling stone at the event, i.e., the process of making a ground axe, all supplemented by a lecture at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM.
• the educational department will supplement the event with workshops: Making an amulet from slate and talismans from clay
• guided tours of the exhibition

Workshops for the public:

PALEOLITHIC PAINTING – EXPERIMENTAL WORKSHOP October 29, 2026 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, 1st floor of Building 14

AMBER JEWELRY – A PREHISTORIC WORLD IN A DROP OF SUNSHINE January 29, 2027 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, 1st floor of Building 14

A STORY ENGRAVED IN STONE – EXPERIMENTAL WORKSHOP March 11, 2027 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, 1st floor of Building 14