Press releases 鈥� April 2025
Apr
30
2025
12:25
The new project 鈥淰isual Analytics for Images from Colonial Contexts鈥� (VABiKo) is a German Research Foundation-funded collaboration between Frankfurt University Library and Philipps-Universit盲t Marburg
Image Archive on Former German Colonies to be Made Accessible with Artificial Intelligence
The central historical image archive of the German colonial and colonial revisionist movements is one of the largest photographic collections of its kind and plays an important role in the reappraisal of German colonial history. This image archive will be made accessible on a public internet portal using automated image analysis processes and deep learning methods. Its position in both colonial and Nazi contexts necessitate an approach that is both historically aware and ethically responsible.
The still existing part of the image collection belonging to the 鈥淕erman Colonial Society鈥� (1887 - 1936) and subsequent propaganda organizations such as the 鈥淩eichskolonialbund鈥� (1933 - 1943), comprises around 45,000 image carriers. In the late 1940s, these were handed over to the Frankfurt City and University Library. From the perspective of the original collecting institutions, many of the images relate thematically to the alleged cultural and economic 鈥渄evelopment鈥� of the German colonies on the African continent, in Oceania, and in China. However, other European and non-European regions are represented as well. In the late 1990s, this was the first photographic collection from colonial contexts in Germany to be digitized and presented online. In the early 2000s, it was expanded to include other image collections such as those of the Sam Cohen Library in Swakopmund, Namibia. Due to insufficient metadata, access for researchers has so far been severely restricted.
The project 鈥淰isual Analytics for Images from Colonial Contexts鈥� (VABiKo) was launched in order to fundamentally rethink possibilities of access to these images. The project is a cooperation between the J. C. Senckenberg University Library in Frankfurt and the 鈥淢ultimodal Modelling and Machine Learning鈥� working group (Prof. Ralph Ewerth) at Philipps-Universit盲t Marburg. It is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a provisional period of three years. The project aims to improve the archive鈥檚 usability through semi-automatic indexing and additional metadata. This includes new possibilities for extended search and online presentation, such as simplified searchability with the help of deep learning-supported image analysis and interactive time-space visualizations. In addition, this will make it possible to compare the image collection with illustrations in publications from colonial contexts. In this manner, the original contexts of use and the instrumentalization of these images become evident. By automatically recognizing recurring image patterns relating to people, objects and places, it will be possible to display the places where the photographs were taken on maps with an additional timeline. A general improvement in data management will ensure the project鈥檚 sustainability for future generations of users.
The resulting multilingual internet portal should be publicly accessible by the end of 2027 and support the reappraisal of German colonial history. The collection contains depictions of various forms of violence within an imbalance of power between the colonizers and the colonized. For this reason, ethical questions concerning presentation and use are being discussed with colleagues, researchers and stakeholders from the countries of origin. Despite the originally propagandistic contexts, the photographs have great potential for reinterpretation by the aforementioned interest groups. The aim is to achieve a balance between transparent accessibility and a respectful approach to the people photographed.
About Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library (UB JCS)
With its extensive holdings and collections, the JCS University Library is one of the most important academic libraries in Germany. It combines the functions of a university library with numerous regional responsibilities, acts as an academic library for the city of Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region as well as a principal library within the supra-regional literature and information supply.
About the Multimodal Modelling and Machine Learning research group (Prof. Ralph Ewerth) at Philipps-Universit盲t Marburg
Prof. Ewerth's research group at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Philipps-Universit盲t Marburg was founded in April 2025. It is one of three newly established AI professorships that were created together with the Hessian Centre for Artificial Intelligence (hessian.AI). The working group concentrates on the development and improvement of machine learning methods for analyzing images, videos and multimodal information. Another focus is on methods for improving (multimodal) search engines using generative AI models and on interdisciplinary applications.
General contact for press enquiries:
Melanie Baunemann, Library Communications & Exhibitions Department
Tel. +49 (69) 798 39212
E-mail: kom@ub.uni-frankfurt.de
Editor: Dr. Dirk Frank, Press Officer/ Deputy Press Spokesperson, PR & Communications Office, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel.: +49 (0)69/798-13753, frank@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de
Apr
7
2025
11:00
New DFG Project on the Study of Brick Stamps in Roman Trier
Building Material for an Ancient Metropolis
Trier developed into a major economic and political center in the Roman Empire's northern provinces, which as a result saw extensive construction activity, including the widespread use of fired bricks. By analyzing stamps on preserved bricks, researchers from Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, 看片软件 Frankfurt, and the Leibniz-Zentrum f眉r Arch盲ologie (LEIZA) are investigating how the production and distribution of ancient building materials were organized in northern Gaul. The interdisciplinary project, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with a grant of 鈧�340,000, will run for two years.
Trier flourished in the 4th century AD, when Roman emperors resided in the city. Monumental buildings such as the Imperial Baths and the Basilica of Constantine still bear witness to this era. The construction materials included fired bricks of various formats, used for walls, roofs, and heating systems. Approximately 4,000 stamped bricks from the Roman period are stored in the depots of Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe's (GDKE) Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier. Excavated since the early 20th century, this collection is among the largest from the northern Roman provinces. However, only a small portion has been studied to date. A team of researchers from the museum, 看片软件 Frankfurt, and LEIZA now aims to systematically analyze them. Their goal is to gain insights into brick production as a key economic sector in the expansion of ancient Trier. 鈥淲e assume that most of the stamped bricks date from Late Antiquity. This allows us to conduct a comprehensive analysis of how building ceramics were produced and used during this period," says Dr. Thomas Schmidts, a private lecturer at 看片软件 and conservator in the 鈥淩oman Archaeology" area of competence at LEIZA in Mainz. 鈥淏rick stamps are also key to understanding the economic and social structures of Late Antiquity," he adds.
A key project focus is the spatial distribution of the bricks, which will help researchers trace the architectural development of Augusta Treverorum, the Roman Trier, which became known as Treveris in Late Antiquity. The study may reveal previously unknown state and public construction projects. Additionally, the researchers plan to quantify the efforts involved in late antique brick production, transportation, and construction. For the first time, archaeometric analyses will be conducted on Trier's bricks, examining their material composition 鈥� specifically, the chemical composition of the clay 鈥� to determine the raw materials used. This will allow researchers to identify or confirm the existence of specific workshops.
鈥淲e are very pleased that our joint proposal was successful in the competitive DFG process. A broad methodological spectrum is not just typical of LEIZA, it also is increasingly important to gaining groundbreaking new insights," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Alexandra W. Busch, General Director of LEIZA. 鈥淭he project's findings will not only expand our knowledge of late antique building ceramics but also serve as a model study that integrates archaeological and archaeometric methodologies, helping us reconstruct Trier's historical development."
The project, titled 鈥淭he Roman Brick Stamps of Trier 鈥� A Contribution to Research on the Organization of Ancient Building Ceramics Production and Distribution for the Expansion of a Metropolis in Northern Gaul," has been awarded 鈧�340,000 in funding by the DFG for two years. In addition to Dr. Thomas Schmidts, the project's lead applicants are Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz from 看片软件's Institute of Archaeological Sciences and Dr. Marcus Reuter, Director of Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, which is part of the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage Rhineland-Palatinate (Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe Rheinland-Pfalz, GDKE).
The project is also part of the 鈥淩esearch Focus on Roman Archaeology and Maritime Antiquity (FoRuM)" in Rhineland-Palatinate, a strategic research alliance between LEIZA, the University of Trier, and GDKE, dedicated to cutting-edge research on antiquity.
Link to the DFG project site:
Scientific Contact:
PD Dr. Thomas Schmidts
Area of Competence: Roman Archaeology
Leibniz-Zentrum f眉r Arch盲ologie (LEIZA)
Tel. +49 (0)6131 8885 322 | Mail: thomas.schmidts@leiza.de
LEIZA Press Office | Leibniz-Zentrum f眉r Arch盲ologie
Christina Nitzsche M.A.
Tel.: +49 (0) 6131 8885 179 | Mail: christina.nitzsche@leiza.de
Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0)69 798-13066, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de
Apr
3
2025
11:42
Research Unit Focuses on Power and Abuse in the Church / Second Funding Phase of the Center for Advanced Studies on Polycentricity and Plurality of Premodern Christianities
看片软件 Acquires Two New DFG Research Groups聽
看片软件 Frankfurt has been awarded another humanities research unit funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG): The unit, titled 鈥淧ower and Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church," will investigate the conditions that facilitate abuse and how they can be prevented. Additionally, the Center for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences 鈥淧olycentricity and Plurality of Premodern Christianities" has secured follow-up funding for its study of Christianity from the first to the eighteenth century.
FRANKFURT. How do power and abuse develop, particularly within the Catholic Church? What defines this power, and how does it function? These questions have long been a research focus at 看片软件's Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology. An interdisciplinary research team will now intensify its work on this topic with additional support: The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) has approved the research unit 鈥淧ower and Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church 鈥� Interdisciplinary Critique and Analysis" which brings together experts from theology, religious studies, philosophy of religion, law, and educational sciences. The group is led by Prof. Anja Middelbeck-Varwick, a religious studies scholar and Catholic theologian. 鈥淭he issue of power and powerlessness in the Church has gained particular urgency due to the countless cases of abuse that have come to light in Germany since 2010. That is why this topic has been a major focus for our faculty. As an interdisciplinary research unit, we now have even greater strength and focus to address these issues 鈥� something we are very pleased about," she says.
The researchers approach the topic from various disciplinary perspectives, structured into three clusters: (1) Vulnerability and Systemic Conditions 鈥� examining the factors that make individuals and institutions susceptible to abuse; (2) Orders and Structures of Power 鈥� investigating institutional power dynamics; and (3) Theological Foundations of Power Imbalances and Abuse 鈥� analyzing underlying legal frameworks and thought structures that may enable or reinforce abuse. Questions revolve around what typical perpetrator-victim structures look like and what factors contribute to their becoming taboo or being covered up. The project also aims to apply its findings beyond the Church, contributing to broader efforts to combat and prevent abuse. The unit's members include Prof. Sabine Andresen (education specialist and former chair of Germany's Independent Commission for Child Sexual Abuse Issues), Prof. Ute Sacksofsky (constitutional law expert), and Prof. Christoph Mandry (ethics scholar). The research will initially be funded for four years, with the possibility of a four-year extension.
Follow-up funding for Center for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences
The Center for Advanced Studies 鈥淧olycentricity and Plurality of Premodern Christianities", first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, will continue its work. The Center explores the diversity of Christian groups up to the eighteenth century. Traditionally, historical research has projected the highly centralized church structures of the nineteenth century onto earlier periods, neglecting the actual complexity of premodern Christianity. Terms such as 鈥渃onfession鈥� or 鈥渃hurch" do not fully capture the reality of these historical Christian communities, hence the introduction of the term 鈥淐hristianities." Unlike institutionalized churches, these Christianities are seen as interactive communities that defined themselves through their connection to Jesus Christ while maintaining identities distinct from other groups. These communities evolved dynamically, sometimes alongside or in opposition to formal church structures, which incidentally also grew out of these communities. Religious centers developed at times outside well-known church centers.
The first phase of funding has already produced several publications. In 2022, the Center welcomed displaced historians from Ukraine. Initially, they were funded through the Center's own resources, later with the support of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, and eventually as DFG Fellows. 鈥淭hese colleagues are a tremendous enrichment to our research. Ukraine has historically had a remarkable religious diversity. Before the Russian full-scale invasion, we had planned a research trip to the region. We hope that our collaboration will lead to lasting research partnerships with Ukrainian scholars," says Prof. Birgit Emich, an early modern historian and spokesperson for the Center. For the second phase, Prof. Hartmut Leppin, a scholar of early Christianity, will join the project. This next stage will involve external experts in the completion of a three-volume compendium, which will offer insights into the religious and social practices of the time. More details can be found at: https://www.poly-unifrankfurt.de/.
"I am very pleased about both funding approvals 鈥� the Research Unit and the Center for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Science research at 看片软件 holds great potential, which will now gain even more momentum and visibility. These two programs promise entirely new perspectives, both in terms of the past and the future of our society," says Prof. Bernhard Br眉ne, Vice President Research at 看片软件.
Research Units and Centers for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences
Funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), Research Units (Forschungsgruppen) consist of small teams of scholars working together on a specific research question that cannot be solved individually. The funding program has existed since 1962 and was called Forschergruppe until 2018. It particularly aims to support international and interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers as well as early-career academics.
Centers for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (Kolleg-Forschungsgruppen) are a DFG funding program specifically designed for research in the humanities and social sciences. These centers bring together distinguished scholars to advance a specific research topic at a single location. The chosen topic should correspond with local research strengths and provide a framework for integrating individual research ideas. 鈥淧olycentricity and Plurality" is currently 看片软件's only Center for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences.
Further information
Prof. Dr. Anja Middelbeck-Varwick
Professor of Theology
看片软件 Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0)69 798-33347 (Manager Dean's Office Dr. Carmen Nols)
E-Mail middelbeck@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Prof. Dr. Birgit Emich
Historisches Seminar
看片软件 Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0)69 798-32595
E-Mail emich@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Editor: Dr. Anke Sauter, Science Editor, PR & Communication Office, Tel: +49 (0)69 798-13066, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, sauter@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de