Collection

The SAM collection comprises approximately 67,000 archaeological skeletal finds, including cremated remains. These come predominantly from the Bavarian region and date from the Middle Paleolithic to modern times.

According to recent dating, the oldest skeleton in the collection is about 34.000 years old and comes from the Mittlere Klause, a cave near Neuessing in the Altmühltal, Kelheim district.

Another special feature are the head burials from the Donau-Ries district found in the Ofnet caves. A total of 34 individuals are divided into 2 “skull nests”, a large nest with 28, and a small one with 6 individuals. The approximately 9700 year old burials clearly show traumatic evidence of violent conflict.

Furthermore, the State Collection of Anthropology houses the so-called Winthir Collection. This is the skeletal remains of 246 identified individuals buried in Munich around 1900. A variety of historical information is available for each individual (including age, sex, occupation, and cause of death).

The finds are stored in the depot of the State Collection for Anthropology in Aschheim/Dornach.