When the members of the Alemannic upper class died in the early Middle Ages, they probably got a lot from the grave, which was dear to them during their lifetime. This is now evident in two extraordinary burials from Deiningen, Donau-Ries district. They contained "real luxury goods", as the Bavarian Conservator Mathias Pfeil says. In one grave, the archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments found an ivory comb with high -quality carvings, in the other a ceramic bowl that was originally made in North Africa. The authority now makes the finds public in a press release.
By the 6th century, the Roman Empire had practically ceased to exist, at least in the West. Nevertheless, even in the former location of the Reich, contacts were still maintained with the territory of the Reich of yesteryear – for example through trade, but also through military campaigns. In the conflicts between the Ostrogoths and the Eastern Roman Empire over the area of today's Italy, for example, Alemanni were also involved, writes the monument office. The Alemanni were the Germanic tribe that at that time settled parts of today's southwest Germany. They were under Frankish rule in the 6th century.
In one of the two graves, a man about 40 to 50 years old was buried. A longsword, a lance, a shield, a battle axe and a bronze basin identify him as a high-ranking warrior. Spurs and bridle remnants indicate that he was a horseman. Fittingly, a horse was laid down next to him in a pit. At the right foot of the grave were the remains of a bag with utensils for hair and beard care: scissors and the decorated ivory comb.
African pottery with African creatures?
The carvings depict a vivid hunting scene in which gazelle-like animals seem to jump away from predators. Perhaps animals from Africa were actually depicted here, write the experts of the state office, but the species can not be determined exactly. There are hardly any ivory combs from the 6th century, and the few examples that exist show religious motifs. This also makes the Deininger Kamm an extraordinary piece in terms of art history, says Johann Friedrich Tolksdorf, the archaeologist responsible at the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments. The completely broken piece had to be put together in meticulous work in the restoration workshop.
Also noteworthy is a ceramic bowl that was found in the neighboring grave of a woman about 30 to 40 years old. The pottery does not come from local production, but was probably made in today's Tunisia. In the local workshops, high-quality goods were created, which were covered with a fine red glaze. This so-called "African red slip ware" is a late antique continuation of the Terra Sigillata pottery, which was highly valued throughout the Roman Empire. However, only a few parts of it reached as far as Central Europe, which once again underlines how precious these grave goods must have been.
Written characters can be seen on the edge of the shell. They may have been designed based on Latin letters or runes. According to the excavators, their importance is completely unclear. Readable inscriptions on objects of that time were formulaic sayings or name and ownership.
