Twelve years of digging on the North/South line brought a wealth of historic objects to the surface that sketch a rich picture of Amsterdam through the ages. With Below The Surface, Fabrique and Q42 want to capture the magic of making the invisible visible. In combination with a permanent exhibition at the Rokin metro station and an extensive catalogue, the website presents discovered artefacts in relation to a timeline. By scrolling from the year 2005 to over 100,000 years ago, the most wonderful and mundane objects can be discovered: from a pistol to dentures, and from a bank card to a crocodile skull. If you scroll through the thousands of finds, you will inevitably become fascinated by the numerous links and stories.

Below The Surface makes archaeology accessible and fun. Fabrique and Q42 have been very successful in bringing the finds and the past closer to the visitor. Moreover, the collection also includes many mundane and everyday objects that are significant to the time in question. Below The Surface serves different target groups: from curious passers-by to professional researchers. The collaboration with such a large number of involved parties is also striking. The site is – partly thanks to a good zoom function – as one with the subject and is thereby a brilliant translation of the actual archaeological experience: discovery is the central theme here. The tool with which you can make your own compositions of the finds delivers an extra layer to the project.