Bamberg idols
The three Bamberg idols were recovered in 1858 from the alluvial sand of the Regnitz near Gaustadt , a district of Bamberg in Upper Franconia that had only been incorporated in the north-west of Bamberg since 1972 . In this respect, it is actually the Gaustadter Götzen (more correctly: Gaustadter Bildsteine ), a name under which the sculptures found during the construction of the ERBA Canal also operate.
description
These are sculptures made of Keuper sandstone, which was deposited in the Obermaing area in geological prehistory . They are about 1 to 1.70 m tall. Their age is unknown; it can range from the Neolithic to the first millennium AD. As a result, the figures can be understood as pagan idols or as early Christian creations.
The face of the smaller sculpture is not very well formed. The larger, apparently bearded figures represent men. Their arms lie in front of their bodies. Furrows and bulges, especially at the lower end, may indicate the folds of garments. The backs of the figures raise questions. The notches there were interpreted as round shields . Lined fields were interpreted as a cape or hood. These representations on the back, however, are most likely to be hierograms , which enabled a specific assignment in the absence of writing.
Cultural-historical classification
The three figures are sometimes referred to in archeology as statue menhirs , which are otherwise typical of the late Neolithic cultures in southern France, in parts of Tuscany ( Lunigiana ) and in western Switzerland. The parallels are clear due to the stylistic features, especially in the depiction of the arms and the eyebrows. Stylistically, they have nothing in common with the representations that the Celts created (e.g. on Glauberg ). However, they are mostly dated to the 1st millennium AD and interpreted as 'primitive' representations of three Christian missionaries.
Location
The three objects are exhibited in the historical museum of the city of Bamberg in the old court .
See also
literature
- Hans Jakob: The Bamberg idols. Relics of a princely grave from the Attila period. In: Report of the historical association for the care of the history of the former prince-bishopric of Bamberg 103, 1967, pp. 283-314.
- Hans Jakob: The Bamberg idols. Review and gleanings. In: Report of the historical association for the care of the history of the former prince-bishopric of Bamberg 116, 1980, pp. 71-78.
