In the course of the 19th century, prehistoric archaeology in many European states became the foundation for national historiographies. Drawing on evidence from archaeological finds, prehistoric archaeology alone was able to trace the descent of ethnically defined population groups way back into the distant past. Archaeologists thus participated in the legitimization of territorial claims in political discussions. Did interdependencies between politics and science lead to a politicization of prehistoric archaeology? How did archaeologists influence politics; could scientists influence the determination of national interests? This volume looks into these and other questions, taking into account not only the historic turning points of 1933 and 1945 but also, for the first time, the transitions between the political systems. German text.