Past = Future imperfect
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TRA Present Pasts: Past Worlds and Modern Questions - Cultures Across Time and Space

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The TRA Present Pasts works to overcome the eurocentric view of history through the transdisciplinary study of past cultural, political, social and economic constellations and their specific forms of communication. By developing new concepts of heritage and related practices we can better understand our own present day and ensure that we leave behind a sustainable legacy for future generations.

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Learn more about ongoing funded TRA Present Pasts projects!

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News from the TRA

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© Photo: Ruth Jung/Uni Bonn
How Christianity Changed Latin
How did the Latin language change as Christianity emerged and spread in late antiquity? This is the question being tackled by Christian Hornung, Professor for the History of Early Christianity and Patristic Studies in the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn, in a new research project. He is aiming to compile a new concise dictionary of early Christian Latin (Handwörterbuch des antiken christlichen Lateins, HACL) that will index the corpus of Latin Christian literature from Tertullian to Isidore of Seville and document the evolution of early Christian Latin vocabulary in all its dimensions, i.e. encompassing the history of ideas, institutions, society, law and religion. The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) will be providing €1.4 million in funding during the long-term project’s first phase to 2030. It is set to run for 12 years in total.
Aug 06, 2026
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Uni Bonn On Tour: Digging in Ostia near Rome
In the University of Bonn’s “Uni Bonn On Tour” feature, researchers reveal details of their unusual workplaces all around the world and provide insights into their day-to-day life (and research). What exactly they talk about depends on what questions they are asked by the general public. In September, archaeologist Professor Sabine Feist and her team will be traveling to Ostia in Italy, where they will be excavating one of the oldest and largest churches of its kind ever discovered. Next door to it is a bishop’s residence complete with sumptuously furnished aula, or “grand hall.” Members of the public are invited to email their questions to the archaeologists at kommunikation@uni-bonn.de or using the University‘s Instagram account @universitaetbonn.
Jul 29, 2026
© Photo: Volker Lannert/Uni Bonn
Report "The Environment Shapes Security" published
As well as presenting ecological challenges, global changes in the environment—such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution—are also impacting security, societal stability and international peace. This is the conclusion reached by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) in its new report section entitled “The Environment Shapes Security,” which has now been published as the first chapter of the flagship report “Security – Sustainable and Integrated.” Among the lead authors was Professor Anna-Katharina Hornidge, a professor at the University of Bonn and Director of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
Jun 26, 2026
© Photo: Bernadett Yehdou/University of Bonn
Goosebump Moments in Archaeological Research
How did people live centuries ago? How did they see themselves? How were they perceived by others? Today, archaeology uses modern methods to examine skeletons, personal belongings, burial practices, material culture and social and spatial relationships. The book “Human Identities in the Archaeological Record: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Late Antiquity to the Modern Period” shows how past identities can be reconstructed from this evidence. 
Jun 12, 2026

Highlights and Announcements

Get Involved in the TRA

As a member of the TRA, you can access funding opportunities, take part in events and build new networks. 

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Our Members

Our members are independent researchers from all faculties and central institutions, from PhDs to postdocs to professors. Together, they conduct research on current debates and related phenomena from the past.

Join us!

TRA members benefit from regular funding opportunities and the chance to network beyond disciplinary borders.

Meet our Researchers

Inter- and transdisciplinary research actively pursued at the University of Bonn and is promoted across faculty boundaries. The faces of the TRA Present Pasts are our Argelander Professor and the numerous dedicated researchers.  

Contact

Avatar Alings

Dr. Kim Alings

+49 228 73 54477

TRA manager | Strategic Development and Quality Assurance Unit
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Transdisciplinary Research Areas

Spaces for innovation in research and teaching - these are the six transdisciplinary research areas at the University of Bonn.

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University of Excellence

Since summer 2019, we have been one of eleven German Universities of Excellence. Read more about our research profile and our future concept.

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Research Funding

Research and Innovation Services at the University of Bonn will support you in all matters relating to your externally funded project.

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