Our projects

The main aim of the new documentary film “Dr. Copper” is to tell the historical story of copper — a metal that profoundly shaped economic and political development in Slovakia and the Habsburg monarchy, and became a catalyst for the growth of global trade from the 16th century onwards. In a popular-science treatment, we set out to show the role copper played amid the turmoil of historical events, drawing on the research of a world-class international team.

A singular look into the history of copper mining and metallurgy from the late Middle Ages to the early modern period.

The story begins on the coast of Namibia, where diamond mining uncovered the remarkable find of a five-hundred-year-old Portuguese shipwreck. Alongside gold coins and other valuables, an enormous quantity of copper was found there.

The Voyages of Copper was broadcast on Slovak public television RTVS, shown at a number of screenings at home and also abroad at academic conferences and at a festival of archaeological film. The film is available on the streaming platform heritagetac.org

People discovered the secret of making bronze. It reached deep into their lives and brought sweeping changes to society. They began to specialise: some grew crops and raised cattle, others made goods, still others traded, and a few ruled. A propertied class emerged, and alongside it a priestly one.

The Bronze Age was broadcast on Slovak television TA3, shown at a number of screenings at home and also abroad at academic conferences and at a festival of archaeological film.