Otto the Great is considered a central figure in European history. Now extensive analyzes of his bones and DNA prove that the legendary emperor is actually buried in Magdeburg Cathedral. The bones found in the sarcophagus match historical records in terms of age, condition and signs of injury. DNA analyzes also confirm that the dead man and the relics of the last Ottonian ruler, Henry II, are directly related.
Otto I the Great was a central figure in European history. Born in 912, he was king of Eastern France and Italy and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome in 962. In doing so, he laid the foundation for a revival of the Roman Empire and the later Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. Otto I was also the driving force behind the elevation of Magdeburg to an archbishopric in 968. After the emperor’s death in 973, he was buried in Magdeburg Cathedral. His sarcophagus standing in the inner choir is still a monument of considerable cultural and historical value today. However, he has suffered greatly over the years.
Opening the wooden coffin allows for more detailed examinations
Therefore, extensive measures to document and preserve the tomb began at the beginning of 2025 under the direction of the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology (LDA). To do this, the condition of the tomb was initially documented graphically, photographically and using 3D mapping. This revealed significant damage caused by corrosion, which acutely endangered the integrity of the sarcophagus.
The team of experts therefore decided to remove the marble cover plate and open the simple wooden coffin standing in the sarcophagus, document its contents and then carefully remove them one by one. In addition to the bones of a man, the research team also found numerous textile remains in the wooden coffin, including the remains of a red wrapping cloth made of Byzantine or Spanish silk and a blue-colored blanket with silver threads. Also noteworthy are finds of eggshells and fruit stones, a Moritzpfennig from the 13th century and a piece of window glass, which prove multiple, separate manipulations on the tomb, as the state office reports.
Opening the wooden coffin offers a unique opportunity to examine the bones in Otto the Great’s tomb more closely. The main question was: Is this dead person actually the emperor who died in 973? To clarify this, a
Interdisciplinary research group formed from representatives of various disciplines. She examined the bones in more detail both anthropologically and medically.
Age, injuries and physical characteristics match Otto the Great
The first results are now available. Accordingly, the bones in the tomb come from a man who was around 1.80 meters tall – he was therefore relatively tall compared to his contemporaries. The condition of the bones and teeth reveals that this man must have died between the ages of 55 and 65. This fits well with historical tradition, according to which Otto I died at the age of 60. Radiocarbon dating of the remains from the tomb also showed good agreement with the historical data.
Other features of the bones also fit well with Otto the Great, as the state office reports. Strong muscle attachments on the thigh and pelvic bones prove that the deceased regularly sat in the saddle as a rider. The pronounced osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joints could also be a contributing factor. “The remains from the sarcophagus of Otto the Great speak for a muscular man who rode a lot and was in good shape,” reports Walter Wohlgemuth from the University Hospital of Halle an der Saale. Traces of healed injuries can also be seen on the dead man’s bones. He must have broken the left spoke in his forearm during his lifetime and there are also traces of old wounds on the back of his head and on his facial skull. Three upper incisors are also missing from the jaw – this may be related to the other injuries to the skull.
Also interesting: the computer tomography scans of the emperor’s skull could also provide clues to his cause of death. They show that the opening for one of the carotid arteries at the base of the skull was noticeably enlarged. “From a technical point of view, the expansion of the carotid canal at the base of the skull is particularly fascinating because the search for possible causes directly touches on questions about the emperor’s state of health at the time of his death,” explains radiologist Mathias Becker from the Magdeburg University Hospital.
DNA proves close relationship to Henry II.
Taken together, these medical-anthropological findings suggest that the emperor’s bones actually lie in Otto the Great’s tomb. This is confirmed by comparative analyzes of DNA samples from the dead person by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA) in Leipzig. They compared the DNA from the Magdeburg tomb with samples of bones from the relic collection of the Bamberg Cathedral. These bones are attributed to Henry II, the last Otton ruler on the East Franconian imperial throne, who died in 1024.
The DNA comparison showed: The dead man in Magdeburg Cathedral and Henry II were related to each other. “The archaeogenetic investigations came to the clear conclusion that the bones from the Bamberg relic collection, traditionally referred to as the bones of Henry II, and the remains from the sarcophagus of Otto the Great come from close third-degree relatives who are connected via the paternal line,” reports Harald Ringbauer from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. This fits with historical tradition, according to which Emperor Henry II was the grandson of Otto’s brother, Duke Henry of Bavaria – and therefore the great-nephew of Otto the Great.
“It is almost certain that we have the remains of Emperor Otto the Great in front of us,” says Harald Meller, director of the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology in Saxony-Anhalt. The identification of the person buried in the imperial tomb in Magdeburg Cathedral as Otto I can therefore be considered confirmed.
Source: State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt – State Museum of Prehistory