The history of Frankfurt am Main's Goethe University is reflected in its extensive study collections. Individu al departments, the library, and the university ar chives maintain approximately forty collections, some of which remain hidden away in attics, offices, and on basement shelves. As a whole, this multifaceted store of knowledge represents a kaleidoscopic history of the earth and humankind spanning 4.6 billion years. Thirty-four million sculptures, books, films, fossils, plants, and comic books-including items from fields such as medicine, archaeology, theater sciences, zool ogy, and youth culture-are in part still actively inte grated in teaching and research or now simply testify to the history of their respective disciplines. In cele bration of the centenary of the university's founding, the catalogue presents a selection of these objects accompanied by vivid descriptions of their histories and also provides a look over the shoulders of various scholars involved in contemporary research. Exhibition: Museum Giersch, Frankfurt/Main 19.10.2014-8.2.2015