Ha, these mystical and moody looking figures weren't actually part of the course (more below). I found them in a room in the Museum of Prehistory and Early History housing the most incredible tall hat made entirely from gold sheet. These figures date from a similar time period of the late Bronze Age (around 2000 - 3000 years ago).
This hat is spectacularly over two feet tall and crafted from a single sheet of over 80% gold with some silver, copper and tin alloy. The markings are thought by many to show contemporaneous knowledge of both the lunar and solar calendar. No doubt a very high status object. Truly awe inspiring to behold.
The entire top floor is dedicated to material culture dating from the Upper Paleolithic to the Iron Age with literally hoards of artefacts and clear explanations. The above image is of the remains of a person from the Aurignacien culture between 26,000 and 43,000 years ago. The image below is of a pair of horns of truly epic proportion.
I can't wait to return with a little more time (my 3 hours wasn't nearly enough).
I had such little time to explore Berlin as much of my visit was taken up with Daniela Malev's enlightening course on Brooch Pin Mechanisms. She covered the fundamentals when considering crafting a mechanism that will not only function but fit with the narrative of the work. So many issues I hadn't even considered! It was not only extremely useful but utterly eye-opening and insightful. And I loved the short lecture on the history of the Brooch. Thank you Daniela!