A burial ground in Bad Füssing, Bavaria, provides new insights into the history of the Bavarians and into a crucial period of change in the region – the transition from Roman rule to the early Middle Ages. Archaeologists have not only discovered the bones of the “Bavarian Princess” from the 6th to 7th centuries in this cemetery, but also graves that are around 150 years older. These date from shortly before the end of the Western Roman Empire and bear witness to changes and migrations that began back then.
The transition from Roman-influenced late antiquity to the early Middle Ages probably occurred in the Eastern Alpine region around 1,550 years ago. At that time, the Romans withdrew from the region after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The local population consisted of various, Romanized Celtic ethnic groups, which mixed with immigrant Alemanni, Lombards and Germanic mercenaries during the migration. At the end of the 5th century, the Bavarian tribe emerged, which spread further into the Alpine region in the early Middle Ages. However, little is known about the period of upheaval between the retreat of the Romans and the beginning of the Bavarian-influenced Early Middle Ages in Eastern Bavaria.
A “Bavarian Princess”…
Now new finds in a burial ground near Bad Füssing in the Passau district offer more insights into this time. Archaeologists had already discovered the first graves there in 2021, which they dated to the 6th and 7th centuries – the Bavarian period. Particularly spectacular was the richly decorated grave of a young woman who soon became known as the “Bavarian Princess”. The woman, who died at the age of 18 to 25, wore a necklace made of more than 200 colorful glass beads and precious stones around her neck, as well as a gold chain. In the grave, the archaeologists also found ivory rings, a rock crystal ball with a silver setting and an elaborately decorated robe buckle. These finds suggest that the deceased was a high-ranking person – possibly a nobleman.
In the meantime, archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation have continued excavations in the row grave field in Bad Füssing. They came across several objects that did not come from the time of the “Bavarian Princess” but must have been older. These include glass pointed cups, ceramic bowls and garment clasps, which indicate a much earlier burial period. In fact, radiocarbon analysis of selected graves and grave goods revealed that this burial ground was used in the middle of the 5th century, around 120 years before the “princess” was buried.
…and a warrior from the time of upheaval
“As spectacular as the princess’s grave goods are, some of the older graves are even more important for science,” explains Mathias Pfeil, general curator at the state office. These dead people and their grave goods come from the transitional period that marked the end of the Roman order in the Eastern Alps. “Now archeology is gradually shedding light on the darkness and we are understanding better and better how the settlement history on the Inn developed during this time of upheaval,” says Pfeil.
Particularly exciting in this context is a male corpse from around 480. Traces of injury on his bones suggest that this man, aged around 40 to 60 years old, died in a violent altercation. This is evidenced by a clear cut in his thigh bone, which could have come from a sword blow, as the state office reports. The dead man’s skull is fractured and shows marks from two more blows that were still fresh at the time of death. This suggests that the man died from these head injuries, as the archaeologists report. Traces of wear on the thigh bone and a rider’s spur discovered in the grave also reveal that the dead man spent a large part of his life on horseback. The rider may have been sitting on horseback when he suffered a sword blow to his right thigh, fell from the animal and was subsequently killed on the ground.
Taken together, the finds suggest that the communities in the eastern foothills of the Alps experienced major changes even before the end of the Western Roman Empire, as the state office reports. Even before the Bavarians emerged as an ethnic group, non-Roman groups had already immigrated to the region and influenced the culture and way of life. This can also be seen in the burial traditions, which began to change from the middle of the 5th century. Finds like these provide valuable insights into the life and death of the “first Bavarians” on the Inn more than 1,500 years ago.
Source: Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation