During excavations in Bavaria, archaeologists came across surprising finds in two 1500-year-old graves: They discovered an ivory comb with unusual animal scenes and an African bowl with mysterious symbols. The history of these exotic items and their owners remains largely mysterious. But at least the finds, which are unique in the region, document the apparently far-reaching connections even after the collapse of the Roman Empire, say the archaeologists.
The focus is on the municipality of Deiningen in the Donau-Ries district near Nördlingen: As part of the development of a building area, traces of two graves emerged there, which were then examined by archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (BlfD). As it turned out, these were the richly furnished resting places of a 40 to 50 year old man and a 30 to 40 year old woman from the 6th century. At that time the region was populated by Alemanni and was under Franconian rule, explains the BlfD.
In the man’s grave, the archaeologists found a long sword, a lance, a shield, a battle ax and a bronze basin. Spurs and remains of bridle suggest that he was the rider of the horse whose skeleton was discovered in a nearby pit. But the most astonishing find was at the feet of the deceased, reports the BlfD: There the archaeologists came across the remains of a bag that was apparently a kind of early medieval toiletry bag: It contained a pair of scissors and a comb that were probably used to care for Head and beard hair served.
Representation of African animals?
According to the experts, combs are not in themselves unusual finds in tombs of this era – but in this case it was an astonishingly luxurious model made of ivory. Carvings made from this material are extremely rare for the 6th century, writes the BlfD. What is special about the Deininger Kamm, in addition to its location north of the Alps, is that it is decorated with secular and apparently exotic hunting scenes: You can clearly see gazelle-like creatures that seem to jump away from predators, which at least do not occur in Europe.
However, it remains unclear whether African animals are actually shown, as an exact species assignment is not possible, say the archaeologists. “We have not yet received any comparable representations on a comb from this period. That makes this find not only an outstanding archaeological source, but also an important art historical source, ”says Johann Friedrich Tolksdorf from the BlfD. Because the few other known ivory combs from the early Middle Ages show Christian motifs.
Well-traveled luxury goods
As the BlfD further reports, the archaeologists also encountered a surprise in the women’s grave: In addition to jewelry, food and part of a loom, an unusual ceramic bowl was enclosed with her. It did not come from domestic production, but from far away: It was a precious red type of ceramic that was produced in what is now Tunisia at that time. While these vessels were widespread in the Mediterranean, the find so far north is surprising, the experts explain. Also unusual are mysterious signs that were subsequently carved into the rim of the vessel. They could perhaps have been associated with runes, some of which were still used in the Alemannic region during the era. What the signs mean, however, remains a mystery: It could have been name signs, magical symbols or simply doodles, writes the BlfD.
It is also mysterious who the two dead were and how they got the unusual objects. It may have been gifts from a ruler to important followers or booty from a campaign, according to the BlfD. At least one thing seems clear: “The two finds must have been real luxury goods at the time,” sums up Mathias Pfeil from the BlfD. “They show how far people’s contacts still went even after the dissolution of the Roman Empire and its provinces,” says the archaeologist.