Mr. von Boilstädt

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Coordinates: 50 ° 55 ′ 45.1 ″  N , 10 ° 40 ′ 10.2 ″  E

"Herr von Boilstädt"
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location Thuringia , Germany
Location Bypass road between Sundhausen and Boilstädt
"Herr von Boilstädt" (Thuringia)
"Herr von Boilstädt"
When Late 6th century to early 7th century
Where Sundhausen , Thuringian Basin / Thuringia
displayed Permanent exhibition of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History Weimar
Plastic and graphic reconstruction, finding 96, "Herr von Boilstädt ", dated around 570 to 610 AD.
Charonspfennig in the findings 96
Byzantine lamp with Christian symbolism

As Lord of Boilstädt is grave lay a warrior of the Thuringian-Franconian top layer of the 6th century near Boilstädt in Thuringia referred. She remained undisturbed for a long time; In 2013 she was recovered with rich grave goods .

Find

After archaeological finds were made during road construction work on the new bypass between Gotha-Sundhausen and Gotha-Boilstädt in 2012, excavations by the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology (TLDA) took place from August 2012 to November 2013 . The well over 100 finds on a route length of about three kilometers were dated to different epochs. The earliest findings come from settlement remains of the Neolithic linear ceramics (5500 BC), while other settlement remains were assigned to the early Bronze Age . Further findings point to burial mounds from the late Bronze Age (approx. 1000 BC) and traces of settlement from the Iron Age (approx. 500 BC).

Merovingian burial ground of Boilstädt

The most important finds come from the early Middle Ages (around 600 AD) from the time of the Merovingians . The graves of 16 children, 15 men and 20 women were found from this epoch and showed no evidence of armed conflict. The average age at death was 40 years.

In order to determine the exact extent of the burial field, a magnetic field gradient mapping was carried out by the TLDA in summer 2016. The surroundings of the previous sites were examined with a magnetometer . The results indicate further burials north of the previous site. The area was registered as a ground monument and placed under protection.

Findings

The most important findings were two richly furnished warrior burials, which were completely preserved and were not robbed. Both date from the time around AD 600 and are a rarity in this undisturbed condition. They are labeled "Befund 96" and "Befund 131". The "Herr von Boilstädt", as the archaeologists called him because of the proximity of the site to Boilstädt, although the grave is in what is today the district of Sundhausen, was in finding no. 96. He was 1.5 × 2.8 in size Meters and was 2.3 meters below the surface. A horse skeleton and the remains of a dog were found in the immediate vicinity, which allows conclusions to be drawn about the position of the deceased. The smaller grave (finding 131) had smaller dimensions and was only one meter below the surface.

Salvage

While most of the findings were secured on site, it was decided to recover these two findings in a block . In October 2013 it was salvaged and brought to Weimar-Ehringsdorf, to a branch of the TLDA. Here the findings could be retrieved and preserved under laboratory conditions. The finding 96, the grave of the "Lord of Boilstädt", turned out to be a finding of supraregional significance.

The "Herr von Boilstädt" (finding 96)

With the "Herren von Boilstädt", an undisturbed Christian burial from the end of the 6th century could be researched for the first time in Thuringia using modern methods. The decoration of the grave suggests extensive relationships among the Thuringian elite. The burial chamber was brought to Weimar as a 17-ton block and uncovered from October 2014 to August 2015. In addition to the documentation, finds were taken and preserved. The excavation showed that the wooden burial chamber was originally covered by a burial mound about eight meters in diameter. The dead man was laid on his back on a wooden bed in the wooden burial chamber and fell on his stomach after the bed was weathered. In September 2015, the skeleton, which had previously been encased as a separate block, was rotated in order to access the finds under the skeleton without destroying it. The excavation work was completed in October 2015 and restoration continued.

Anthropological Findings

The "Herr von Boilstädt" was about 30 to 35 years old and about 1.80 meters tall. His sturdy stature and his bull neck indicate, in addition to the grave goods, a warrior. His teeth are in astonishingly good condition, which suggests good nutrition . So-called rider facets were found on his skeleton, which indicate changes in the thigh bones in the form of an expansion of the joint surfaces on the thigh heads to the thigh necks. This is a peculiarity that indicates a rider, especially since a horse skeleton was found in the immediate vicinity of the findings. The muscle groups showed normal development, only the muscle groups that are used when riding were above average. Anthropological studies at the TLDA showed a well-directed nasal bone fracture that was probably barely visible on the face. A suspected rind infection indicates wearing airtight headgear. There were no signs of violent death.

Molecular Genetic Studies

Using the extracted DNA from the tooth roots and the genetic fingerprints ( mitochondrial DNA or chromosomes in the genome ), an assignment to haplogroups was carried out at the University of Göttingen . It was found that the two warriors were not related. The analysis of the paternal ancestry showed that the origin of the family line of "Herr von Boilstädt" can be found in Eastern Europe, that of the second warrior lies in Western Europe. The analysis of genetic markers which encode the color of the eyes and hair showed that the "Herr von Boilstädt" was blond and blue-eyed, while the second warrior had dark hair and greenish-brown eyes.

Drawing facial reconstruction

Using the method of graphic reconstruction used by the FBI, an expert from the State Office of Criminal Investigation in Saxony-Anhalt applied tracing paper over these spacers after applying soft tissue marks to the 3D model of the skull. The face was then reconstructed with pencil drawings. With this method you can depict the proportions of the skull, but facial expressions, age features, hair and eyebrows cannot be defined in this way. The drawings thus contain speculative features.

Plastic facial reconstruction

Employees of the University Medical Center Göttingen performed a plastic facial reconstruction . For this purpose, the facial muscles were modeled on the 3D print of the skull prepared with soft tissue markers using oil clay. The contour of the face is determined by the soft tissue markers and muscles. The shape and size of the eyes, nose and mouth are determined by the bones. The bones also determine the position of the ears. However, one had to speculate about the shape of the ears. A plaster cast was made from the oil clay bust, which was then used to make a cast made of silicone rubber, which was then colored in several steps. The hair of the head, beard, eyebrows and eyelashes were individually woven into the bust. Glass eyes, with the color determined by the DNA analysis, complete the bust. The design of the hair and beard costume was based on coin finds from that time.

Additions

The most important additions include a Byzantine lamp with Christian symbolism and a Visigoth gold coin ( tremissis ). In this combination, the finds are unique in Germany. The prominent position of the man is also proven by the other grave goods:

  • Weapons such as shield bosses with non-ferrous metal rivets, spearhead, ango , sax (single-edged sword), spathe (double-edged long sword), sword fittings
  • Riding accessories such as bridle , several silver and non-ferrous metal-coated iron rivets of the bridle
  • Personal items of equipment such as a gold coin from the end of the 6th century ( Charonspfennig - in the mouth of the findings), three-layer comb , glass game stone , bag with glass pearl necklace , fragment of an Iron Age glass armring and several flat glass splinters, bronze oil lamp, solid non-ferrous metal ring and probably a box made of bark with a small silver fitting
  • Food additions such as animal bones, eggshells and a fish skin (pike) show
  • about four meters away a grave with a beheaded horse and a dog.

Gallery, findings 96

Second rich warrior grave (finding 131)

The second warrior grave was also laid out in a wooden burial chamber. While in finding 96 there was an overhang with a diameter of approx. 8 m, in this finding no overhang is detectable. The grave was recovered in a total of three parts and brought to Weimar in October 2013. The finds were recovered from the blocks by the end of 2013 and have now been completely restored.

Anthropological Findings

Find 131 is also about a warrior who, with his rich grave goods, was probably buried in the 7th century.

Additions

Particularly noteworthy for this finding is a silver inlaid belt set , which shows parallels to a harness from Niederstotzingen . It is likely a piece from the early 7th century from Lombard Italy.

  • Weapons: shield hump, lance / spear tip, sax, spathe with silver inlaid sword fittings, belt buckle with fixed fitting, counter fitting and back fitting (Italy?)
  • Riding accessories such as bridle, several iron rivets of the bridle and spur and end fittings of the fastening strap
  • Personal equipment: belt sets, bag with bag straps and iron buckle containing flint and fire steel , iron knife, toilet utensils with scissors and razor and a three-layer comb
  • Food additions: animal bones and eggshells
  • about 6.5 meters away a decapitated horse

Gallery, finding 131

Dating

The dating of the burial place was typologically based on the characteristic weapons equipment and the grave goods, especially the Visigoth gold coin . Finding 96 ("Herr von Boilstädt") can be dated to a period between 570 and 610 AD, while finding 131 can be dated to a period between 630 and 650 AD. It can therefore be assumed that there was about a generation between the burials .

interpretation

With “Herr von Boilstädt”, an undisturbed early Christian burial from the late 6th century could be excavated and examined for the first time for the Thuringia area with the possibilities of modern research.

The rich decoration of the grave suggests extensive relationships among the old Thuringian elite .

In particular, the association of Byzantine oil lamps and Visigoth coins as Charon pennies testify to the simultaneous practice of ecclesiastical and (still existing) 'pagan' burial rituals during Christianization in the Thuringian region.

presentation

From September 21, 2018 to January 6, 2019, the Boilstädter finds in the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin were shown in the exhibition Moving Times. Archeology shown in Germany , which took place on the occasion of the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018.

On May 19, 2019, the findings from Boilstädt, together with the facial reconstructions and a faithful replica of the skeleton, were included as a special exhibition in the permanent exhibition on the early Middle Ages of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History Weimar . A video presentation shows the arrangement of the finds in the grave of "Herr von Boilstädt".

literature

Web links

Commons : Herr von Boilstädt  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. The "Herr von Boilstädt" and the archaeological excavation for the Gotha-Sundhausen bypass ; Media information from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Weimar, February 12, 2016.
  2. Uwe Ulrich: A visit to Mr. von Boilstädt. Homepage Boilstädt
  3. Revealed! - The facial reconstruction of "Herr von Boilstädt". Media information from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Weimar, November 30, 2018.
  4. Uwe Ulrich: A visit to Mr. von Boilstädt. Homepage Boilstädt
  5. Thuringian State Archeology at the special show “Moving Times. Archeology in Germany "from September 21, 2018 in Berlin at the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology. 5th July 2018.