Explore Ice Age Europe - Ice Age Europe

Education Projects

The modern, high-quality and scientifically correct mediation of research results play an essential part of the work of all network partners. Current education projects include:

Museum projects

Prehistory Museum of Solutre

After more than 25 years of existence, the Solutré Museum has been getting involved in a museographic project for improving and modernizing the presentation of collections and also for renewing the scientific thought and the new issues in research about prehistory.

Museum in a suitcase

Neanderthal Museum

Weather you need materials for your classes, or special school projects; in preparation for a museum visit or the follow up after, you may rent one of the “museum suitcases”. Consumables, illustrative items, replicas, worksheets and solution sheets are included.

Research Projects

To expand the knowledge of Ice Age Europe and thus our common cultural heritage, the network partners conduct scientific research and play a vivid part in international research projects. Current research projects include:

The Collaborative Research Centre "Our Way to Europe" steps into its second phase

Neanderthal Museum

One of the largest European projects on the expansion of Pleistocene modern humans from Africa to Europe steps into its second phase. After a two-day assessment by an international commission, another four years of research of the Collaborative Research Centre "Our Way to Europe" have been approved. About 70 researchers of the Universities of Cologne, Bonn and Aachen are involved, and with them the Neanderthal Museum, which functions as coordinator of cluster C „Western Mediterranean".

Research Projects of the Museum of Altamira

Museum of Altamira

The Museum of Altamira is also a research centre whose objectives include the study of prehistory, humankind’s first art, and its dissemination among society to improve knowledge and awareness of its value and the requirement for its protection. The Museum of Altamira is currently undertaking the following research projects:

Program for the preventive conservation of the cave of Altamira:
Since 2012 an International Committee, composed of renowned specialists in preventive conservation, began work to study the feasibility of providing a restricted number of visitors with access to the cave of Altamira, while safeguarding the conservation of the paintings.

“Tracking in Caves”: on the trail of prehistoric man

Neanderthal Museum

In remote caves of the Pyrenees lie precious remnants of the Ice Age undisturbed: foot and hand prints of prehistoric hunters. The tracks have remained untouched for millennia and are in excellent condition. Dr. Tilman Lenssen-Erz of the Forschungsstelle Afrika (Research Centre Africa) at the University of Cologne and Dr. Andreas Pastoors from the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann are going on expedition to encode the secrets of the trails. Their idea: to involve the best trackers in the world in the project in order to learn even more about the tracks. San hunters from Namibia, also known as Bushmen, will be investigating the tracks. The scientific expedition will span two continents and seven weeks.

From the 9th until the end of June, the expedition will go to Namibia in order to prepare the San for the task in hand. The hunters are excellent trackers who can read details that evade others from trails. “The San are amongst the last known ‘trained’ hunters and gatherers of southern Africa,” explains Tilman Lenssen-Erz. “The tracks in the caves are going to be examined by people who really know something about them.”

The first press conference was held on July 1 in the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann before the team “Tracking in Caves” set off for the Pyrenees; it is there that the San hunters will be investigating the tracks. Andreas Pastoors wants more information pertaining to the amount and size of the tracks: “We hope to gain additional information: e.g. whether the person was in a rush, or whether they were maybe ill or carrying something. More information that will give life to the tracks.” The idea behind this is to gain a better understanding of the cultural life of prehistoric man: “Our biggest job is to interpret cave art and to find out what the people did with these cave paintings. We have to gather all information about the context of these images.”

Team “Tracking Caves”, which consists of scientists and experienced trackers Tsamkxao Cigae, C/wi /Kunta and C/wi G/aqo De!u, will then report on their discoveries from the Ice Age caves of Ariège in a press conference at the University of Cologne on July 17. The Khoisan language of Tsamkxao Cigae will be translated into English.

Dr. Tilman Lenssen-Erz from the Forschungsstelle Afrika of the University of Cologne and Dr. Andreas Pastoors from Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann are in charge of the project. The academics are cave and rock art experts. Tsamkxao Cigae works as a tracker in the Tsumkwe Country Lodge, lives in Tsumkwe; speaks good English and will act as interpreter. C/wi /Kunta works as a tracker for a professional hunter, lives in //xa/oba, a village 20 km north of Tsumkwe, which is also a “Living Hunters Museum” where the San’s contemporary and traditional living modes are exhibited.
C/wi G/aqo De!u works as a tracker for hunting teams and lives in a village ca. 20 km south-south west of Tsumkwe.

For more information about the project visit