The invention of bronze five thousand years ago was a groundbreaking technological leap that revolutionised human life. A far-reaching long-distance trade network emerged, economically and culturally linking the Near East, Egypt, and Europe through an unprecedented demand for raw materials. A global Bronze Age world came into being. Yet it brought not only cultural progress. The new metal also fostered the lasting establishment of wealth, power, and war. “And then came Bronze!” takes us on a journey into this fascinating era. Discovered in the Bernese Jura in 2017, the “Bronze Hand of Prêles” is one of the outstanding testimonies of the European Bronze Age. It is the oldest known bronze representation of a human body part in Europe and places the Bernese Seeland on a level with the great civilisations of the time in Babylon, Crete, and Troy. The exhibition forms the core of the museum’s 2024 annual theme “Bronze” at the Bernisches Historisches Museum. It is accompanied by a wide-ranging programme of events and educational offerings.
