A period full of upheavals and changes began for the area of the present-day federal state of Hesse in the 1st century BC. This period is known today as the late Iron Age or Late Latène period. It is characterized by the abandonment of long-used settlements and the emergence of two new players who brought about profound changes in Late Iron Age society: Germanic settlers migrated from the north, while Rome expanded its sphere of influence from the south to the area on the right bank of the Rhine.

The clash between Celtic, Germanic and Roman populations initiated a process that lasted until the 1st century AD and gave rise to new cultural forms and traditions. The result was a Roman-Germanic world with Celtic roots.

At the Stadtmuseum Wiesbaden, this highly exciting situation at the turn of the millennium was vividly illuminated with objects from the Nassau Antiquities Collection and on loan from other museums. What remains are there of the late Celtic world? Where did the Germanic tribes come from? Is it even possible to distinguish between "late Celts" and "early Germanic tribes" in Hesse? What role did the Roman military play and was there a return to Celtic roots in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD - a so-called Celtic Renaissance?