Rescue excavation with surprise finds: Archaeologists have come across an interesting grave complex from the early Middle Ages in Kirchheim am Neckar. In the center of a circular ditch they found two wooden chamber graves in which a woman and a man were buried. Luckily, grave robbers didn't plunder it entirely: the team uncovered some precious grave goods, which indicate that it was the resting place of a couple from the region's upper class.
“There could be traces of the past slumbering in the ground”: Earlier finds have shown that the burial ground of the historic town was in the area of Friedrichstrasse in Kirchheim am Neckar. "Reichsdorf", located north of Ludwigsburg in the greater Stuttgart area, was first mentioned in a document in 1003. A planned development on two parts of the known area now called archaeologists from the Baden-Württemberg State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (LAD) onto the scene: it was important to find possible finds to document and secure. What the rescue excavation brought to light, however, significantly exceeded the expectations of the archaeologists, reports the LAD.
Magnificent grave goods
In addition to the loose occupancy of normal earthen graves, which probably mark the southwest end of the former burial ground of Kirchheim, they came across a so-called circular ditch. It is a structure in the ground that suggests an earlier burial mound. The team discovered a central burial around four and a half by four meters in size, which consists of two individual graves. "When it was uncovered, it became apparent that there were two directly adjacent wooden chamber graves that were carved out of the rock in the lower part," reports Dorothee Brenner from the LAD. Archaeologists found the remains of a woman in the northern chamber and a man in the southern chamber.
It became apparent that both graves had unfortunately been robbed - but apparently not completely: "The robbery probably took place after the wooden burial chambers were broken into. Fortunately, the area below the knees of the dead remained untouched," says Brenner. At least one valuable object escaped the grave robbers in the upper part of the dead man's body: it was a gold coin that had been placed in his mouth. In the man's foot area, the team found, among other things, a large ornate bone comb, ribbons made of silver sheet and a glass cup. They also discovered a bronze vessel containing traces of organic material. They also found marks and fragments of weapons and traces of horse bridles. Right next to the circular ditch, the team also found the grave of a horse that was apparently linked to the man buried with his bridle.
An upper class couple
The LAD reports that the grave robbers also missed some magnificent objects in the woman's grave: In addition to a weaving sword, scissors and a glass beaker, the archaeologists found a pearl necklace, gold pendants with inlays made of the gemstone almandine and a disc brooch. Another interesting find is a belt hanger with a decorative disc and the shell of a Cypraea snail. These mollusks, also known as porcelain snails, live in the Indian Ocean.
Based on the findings, the archaeologists roughly assign the double grave to the early Middle Ages, which lasted until the middle of the 11th century. "We can assume the burial of a couple from the early medieval upper class of Kirchheim am Neckar, which can be distinguished from the general public by the distance to the other graves, among other things," says Brenner, interpreting the significance of the finds. Kirchheim am Neckar now has an impressive and mysterious testimony to its history.
Source: State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Baden-Württemberg