Weingarten burial ground
The grave field in the Württemberg vineyard is one of the few grave fields that were continuously in use over the entire Merovingian era and is therefore an important source for research into Franconian - Alemannic history. It was continuously documented from about AD 450 to 730. It is also one of the largest and almost completely excavated (more than 800 graves so far) row grave cemeteries in southwest Germany .
Coordinates: 47 ° 48 ′ 32.1 ″ N , 9 ° 37 ′ 51.9 ″ E
Find history
On September 23, 1952, construction workers came across graves with metal weapons during sewer work for the new valley settlement. At first the head of the building authorities thought it was Napoleonic, but the Weingarten head teacher and steward of the Archaeological State Office, Paul Eith, recognized it as early medieval. First Eith was commissioned with the excavation , in June 1953 Siegwald Schiek and in 1954 Gerhard Wein took over the management of these excavations. Up until 1957, the cemetery was excavated and documented in several campaigns based on the current state of research. However, due to the ongoing construction work, part of the recovery had to be carried out under great time pressure, so that some graves could not be documented in detail. The excavation was initially financed by the city of Weingarten alone and later from funds from the district, the state of Baden-Württemberg and the German Research Foundation. This was followed by several years of restoration and conservation of the finds at the Württembergisches Landesmuseum in Stuttgart, the Roman-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz and at the University of Tübingen . The comprehensive scientific processing of the burial ground was delayed several times in the following years and only minor aspects could be scientifically evaluated and published. In 1995 the catalog of the grave inventory was published by the archaeologists Claudia Theune-Vogt and Helmut Roth . The scientific evaluation of the finds is currently in progress under Claudia Theune-Vogt, the results of which are expected to be presented in 2011. Shortly after the excavations were completed, individual finds from the grave field were exhibited in the Weingarten town hall due to the great interest. In order to offer the cemetery a suitable exhibition framework, the city had the Alemanni Museum Weingarten set up in the Kornhaus , where the finds have been accessible to the public since 1976.
The grave field is located in today's area of Fliederstrasse / Immergrünweg / Waldmeisterweg ( Weingarten ). It is built over by the valley settlement and is no longer visible. The Alemanni Museum Weingarten is located approx. 1 km further east.
Burial ground
The cemetery had a stretch of about 120 meters in West - East - direction and 90 meters in North - South direction. It was created on a gently sloping terrain to the river Schussen , as can be seen in other burial grounds . In the south-west , occupancy began at the end of the 5th century and continues to the east. 19% of the burials date from the 5th century , 38% from the 6th century and the majority, with around 46%, dates from the 7th century . Due to the size of the burial ground of around 900 burials, it can be assumed that it belonged to a larger settlement that was built over around 500 m from the historic town of Altdorf / Weingarten. The strong increase in burials, above normal population growth, suggests a steady influx of new people into the settlement. Statistically derived, the settlement must have had a population of around 50 to 70 in the 5th century, 85 to 120 in the 6th century and 100 to 150 in the 7th century, with a mean life expectancy of 25 years for the lower number and 25 years for the higher one is based on 35 years.
The dead of the early burials were buried stretched out on their backs, with their heads facing west and facing east. The more recent burials move to an orientation in the west-southwest - east-northeast position. The burials took place in tree coffins or wooden grave chambers , of which almost nothing has survived in the gravel floor, apart from a few discolorations. The wealthy men were buried in a wooden burial chamber, which was covered with two massive stone slabs. With many graves it is becoming apparent that they were laid out in groups, which may indicate that those buried in these areas belonged to the same family. Since there are very few overlapping burials on the burial site, it is assumed that the graves were marked above ground. The preservation conditions for organic material were not optimal in this burial ground, as the burials were laid out in a layer of gravel and gravel that was permeable to air and water. Of the dead, only the bones and teeth of varying quality have survived. Organic material has largely passed away, organic residues in metal oxide layers have only been preserved on some metal objects. The iron objects exhibited rust corrosion to varying degrees.
With the sweeping Christianization, the grave field was abandoned and burials probably continued in a Christian cemetery in the vicinity of a church in or near the settlement.
Anthropological Findings
In the course of the excavations , 801 graves with 813 burials were uncovered, about 100 graves could not be recovered because they had already been built over unnoticed. Anthropologically , 317 female and 383 male individuals could be identified, with 113 burials an anthropological sex determination was not possible. A noticeable number of tombs of small children is noticeable , around 13% of those buried were younger than 14 years. The majority of the buried, around 60%, died between the ages of 20 and 60 and 18% reached an even older age.
According to the anthropological studies in the 1960s , it was assumed that the historical population of the place from the 6th and 7th centuries consisted to a large extent of immigrant northern Germans who formed a local upper class and only very slowly got along with the local, Gallo-Roman old population mixed. The current scientific investigations, such as DNA analyzes or isotope analyzes in connection with the archaeological evaluation, however, show a much more differentiated picture. The burials show a high degree of mobility with regard to their social status, which is reflected in the different qualities of the accessories within genetically related individuals. No continuous upper-class families could be identified on the cemetery. The genetic variance of male individuals was lower than that of women, which may be due to the higher degree of sedentariness due to the male succession to the land and farms and the influx of wives from greater distances. Based on the additions found, a steady influx of people from all directions such as the Elbe - Havel region , the Rhine Valley and from the west can be assumed. In the future, it will be possible to determine these data more precisely using isotope analyzes. Trace element analyzes showed that the diet of the buried was characterized by a high proportion of plants. The distribution patterns of the trace elements investigated (Ba, Ca, Cu, P, Sr and Zn) suggested that the main part of the diet consisted of different processed grains and other crops and, depending on social status, different proportions of animal products such as meat or Dairy products .
Grave goods
Almost all burials had grave goods , only a small number of the graves were without gifts and about 10-15% of the graves were historically robbed . The grave goods consist mainly of clothing, weapons, jewelry and traditional costume accessories according to the respective fashion.
Men's graves
More than three quarters of the men were buried with their weapons, which identify them as warriors. The armament included offensive weapons such as spathes , saxes , lances , arrowheads , some throwing axes ( Franzisken ) and, as the only protective weapons, round shields , other protective weapons such as helmets or chain mail were not available. The grave inventories largely lack agricultural implements and handicraft tools that apparently had no meaning for the grave custom, the historical Weingarten population. It can be assumed that the men made their living more as farmers and less often as warriors.
Women's graves
Women were buried in full costume, with jewelry and small household items such as knives and spindle whorls . About a fifth of the women, mostly between the ages of 20 and 60, were given metal fibulae , and only in exceptional cases could they be found in the graves of younger or older women. According to the general fashion, the four-brooched costume can be found on the burial ground up to the 6th century , with two smaller fibulae worn one above the other in the upper chest and two larger fibulae also worn one above the other in the abdominal or pelvic area. As a result of a change in fashion from the 6th century onwards, this costume changed to a costume with disc brooches in the upper chest area that were worn individually or in pairs . Other pieces of jewelry are necklaces with pearls made of glass , amber or semi-precious stones , earrings and, more rarely, arm or finger rings. Elaborate belt hangers with attached amulets , decorative disks , knives, leg combs , keys or bags, which come in different qualities and combinations, are a noticeable part of women's clothing . Many of the added objects show clear signs of use, they belonged to the personal effects of the deceased who used them over a long period of time.
Diversity of finds
Only a few gold leaf crosses could be made out as the only so-called “real additions” specially made for the burial ritual. Food additions were found in 80 graves. From these dishes, pork, beef and poultry bones, eggshells and in one case the bones of a beaver were preserved . The glass drinking cups found in some graves may have contained drinks. Numerous grave goods are very valuable and have been imported from far away . There are drinking glasses from the Lower Rhine region, belt fittings from Italy (grave 674) and the Byzantine region (grave 189). Further evidence of long-distance trade is amber from the Baltic Sea , meerschaum pearls from Greece , shells of cowrie shells ( Cypraea pantherina ) from the Indian Ocean or almandins from India and Sri Lanka . Compared to other grave fields, the small number of ceramic vessels added is striking, and there are also no splendid aristocratic graves such as those found in Kirchheim am Ries , Donzdorf , Friedingen , Gammertingen or Niederstotzingen . Overall, however, the burials reflect a clear pyramid-like population structure, with only a few rich, a stronger middle class and the numerically largest part of the poorer population groups.
Outstanding finds
One of the outstanding pieces of jewelery from Weingarten is the golden disc fibula from grave 615 with open cells, filigree overlays and inlaid almandines, the needle apparatus of which is adorned with a boar's head on the back. There are only primers of similar quality from Lauchheim and Gammertingen. Furthermore, at least two fibulae from graves 179 and 272 with runic inscriptions on the reverse were found ( runic fibulas from Weingarten ), further possible runic inscriptions are on an amber pendant from grave 511 and the back of a disc brooch from grave 313, the contents of which have not yet been deciphered could be. The deceased from grave 619 received a rare addition in the form of a horse burial , a decapitated horse was placed in the grave with him. Any furniture that may have been added, as is known from the Oberflacht burial ground, for example , could not be detected because of the unfavorable conservation conditions for organic material.
End of the addition custom
Due to changing beliefs, the addition custom ebbed with increasing Christianization at the end of the occupation time of the burial ground. Many burials, however, document a slow religious change and the parallel occurrence of pagan and Christian beliefs ( syncretism ) with their burials . An important reason for the abandonment of the additive custom and the disappearance of the gold leaf cross additions will probably have been the development of a uniform church structure with the parish churches in the center and the associated cemeteries. The prayer remembrance of the relatives when they went to church and the generous donations to monasteries and churches for their own peace and quiet replaced the splendor of earlier funeral ceremonies.
literature
- Claudia Theune , Constanze Cordes: The early medieval burial ground near Weingarten . In: Guide to archaeological monuments in Baden-Württemberg . tape 26 . Theiss, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-8062-2373-6 .
- Helmut Roth , Claudia Theune: The early medieval burial ground near Weingarten (Kr. Ravensburg) . Catalog of the tomb inventories. In: Research and reports on prehistory and early history in Baden-Württemberg . tape 44 / I . Theiss, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-8062-1175-2 .
- Helmut Roth, Claudia Theune: SW ♀ IV - On the chronology of Merovingian women's graves in southwest Germany . A preliminary report on the cemetery of Weingarten, district of Ravensburg. Ed .: State Monument Authority Baden-Württemberg. Ges. For Vor u. Early history in Württemberg a. Hohenzollern, Stuttgart 1988.
- Neil M. Huber: Anthropological investigations on the skeletons from the Alemannic row grave field of Weingarten, Kr. Ravensburg . In: Landesdenkmalamt Baden-Württemberg (Hrsg.): Scientific studies on prehistory and early history in Württemberg and Hohenzollern . No. 3 . Müller u. Gräff, Stuttgart 1967.
- Claudia Theune-Vogt : Chronological results of the pearls from the Alemannic burial ground of Weingarten, district of Ravensburg . In: Philipps University (ed.): Small writings from the prehistory seminar of the Philipps University of Marburg . No. 33 . Elwert, Marburg 1990.
An extended reading list can be found on the discussion page .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Klaus Georg Kokkotidis: From the cradle to the grave - studies on the paleodemography of the Alemanni of the early Middle Ages . Philosophical Faculty of the University of Cologne, 1999 ( full text online [accessed on August 28, 2017] dissertation).
- ^ Neil M. Huber: Anthropological investigations on the skeletons from the Alemannic row grave field of Weingarten, Kr. Ravensburg .
- ↑ Holger Schutkowski: Group-typical trace element patterns in early medieval skeleton series in southwest Germany . In: Mostefa Kokabi (Ed.): Contributions to archeozoology and prehistoric anthropology . Theiss, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8062-1155-8 , pp. 117-124 .
- ↑ Andreas Gut , Martina Terp-Schunter, Barbara Theune-Großkopf: Goldblattkreuze. Signs of faith of the Alemanni (= writings of the Alemanni Museum Ellwangen. Volume 3). Alamannenmuseum Ellwangen, Ellwangen 2017, p. 53. ISBN 978-3-00-058380-3 .