Archaeologists find 1,300-year-old grave of Frankish warrior with "full field"

During an archaeological excavation of an early medieval cemetery in Ingelheim, Germany, an intact grave of a Merovingian warrior from the 7th century was discovered with complete armour. He was very lucky; although he lay between two looted graves, his rich equipment remained intact for 1300 years.

Excavation of the burial site began in 2015; this year is the final season. The vast majority of the graves were looted centuries ago. The Merovingian graves on Rotweinstrasse can usually be easily identified by the darker fill of the burial pit. In this case, no colour change was apparent and the whole area was heavily disturbed by adjacent graves and difficult to interpret.

"When the edge of the gable bump was discovered, it was not clear at first whether it belonged to one of the disturbed graves or to a previously undiscovered one," said Christoph Bassler, head of research. "So we cautiously continued digging until it was clear: between the two looted burials we had indeed discovered a completely intact grave that the looters must have overlooked for some reason," he described the circumstances of the discovery of grave number 447.

The skeletal remains of a man who was between 30 and 40 years old at the time of his death were subsequently discovered in the grave. The position of the slightly raised shoulders suggests that he was buried in a wooden coffin that had completely decomposed over time. The warrior was buried with all the weapons in existence at the time. Under his right arm was a spatha (double-edged sword) with a blade 75 cm long - including the hilt and pommel 93 cm. The blade is in excellent condition and even retains some of its former flexibility. Parts of the bronze scabbard and hinge or belt are also preserved.

At the left arm the warrior had a broad seax (also sax or scramasax - a short chopping sword), the blade and bronze rivets from the scabbard still survive. The grave also contained a knife, a spear, and a flat shield with a broad edge. The type of shield and the design of the scramasax tentatively date the grave to the 7th century and identify the deceased as a Frankish warrior. After cleaning and conservation of the weapons, the dating information can be refined in view of the details of the decoration and the presumed silver inlay, which is covered by a thick layer of corrosion.

The head of the conservation department, Eveline Breyer, is also awaiting new findings from ongoing analyses: "This extraordinary find is another piece of the puzzle for our understanding of the city in the early Middle Ages. Like many other discoveries on Rotweinstrasse, it will help us to better understand and also illustrate this oldest society in Ingelheim."

According to experts, the warrior was not a professional soldier. Standing armies in the modern sense did not exist in his lifetime. Instead, he had to procure his own equipment and, like any free man, was obliged to follow the leader into battle. The cause of his death is not yet known, but he could have died of illness or injury as a result of the battle, the archaeologists said, adding that the grave goods would suggest the latter possibility. The extraordinary set of burial equipment includes virtually every weapon used by the elite warrior class of the time.

Roman Nemec

Sources: ingelheim.de, ingelheimer-marktplatz.de

The grave of a Merovingian warrior with rich equipment including swords, spear knives and shields

detail of spath and sax