Prone burials and evidence of interpersonal violence: A case study from early medieval Bavaria, Germany

Lee, Ja Young; Zink, Albert; Paeffgen, Bernd; Wolfseder-Freitag, Angelika; Harbeck, Michaela und Trautmann, Bernd (2022): Prone burials and evidence of interpersonal violence: A case study from early medieval Bavaria, Germany. In: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Bd. 32, Nr. 4: S. 904-909

Abstract

In early medieval times, the people of the Baiuvarii inhabited large parts of modern Bavaria (Germany). Among other evidence, about 10,000 graves dating from this time provide evidence of an exceptional level of settlement activity. These graves were arranged predominately in multiple parallel rows, so-called Reihengraber, whereby the bodies were placed in stretched, supine positions. Burials that deviate from this custom are rarely found. For this reason, the excavation of a male skeleton at the cemetery of Aying-Grosshelfendorf (seventh to eighth centuries) attracted particular attention. The skeleton with label number 115 was found in a prone position and appears to have sustained four separate instances of sharp force trauma. The grave included a number of metal grave goods including a spatha and an iron shield boss. One focus of the study was on the macroscopic examination of the violence-related lesions found on skeleton 115. They were located on the femur, the humerus, the frontal bone, and the maxilla on the right side of the body. The shape of the lesions indicates the insertion of a heavy, sharp, or bladed instrument. There is no evidence of healing detectable, leading to the conclusion that the individual was most likely involved in fight with fatal outcome. Subsequently, the victim was buried in a prone position alongside 17 other individuals in an otherwise regular graveyard. A possible interpretation of this difference in burial treatment is the fear of the victim's dependents of an unexpected or violent death or an expression of foreign origin. The aim of the paper is to present the most likely interpretation of the evidence in correlation with the anthropological and archaeological data.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Geschichts- und Kunstwissenschaften > Historisches Seminar
• Themengebiete: 900 Geschichte und Geografie > 900 Geschichte
• ISSN: 1047-482X
• Sprache: Englisch