2023-10-13 14:01:00
This iron folding chair from the Early Middle Ages was found in August 2022 near the Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber – one of the most beautiful places on the popular Romantic Road tourist route in Germany.
Planned archaeological excavations were carried out in the area of the small Lake Endze on the site of the future construction site of an industrial park. This lake itself, near which important trade routes ran, was first mentioned in writing in 798.
“The Find of the Century”
The grave of the woman, who died between the ages of 40 and 50, was dated by specialists to the 6th century, that is, the chair, which was one of the funeral gifts, lay in the ground for more than 1,400 years.
To avoid damage, the sensational artifact was removed en bloc and taken for further research to the workshop of the Bavarian Land Office for the Protection of Monuments in Munich.
“The find of the century,” as the department said in a statement, aroused widespread interest in Germany and abroad. Cleaning and conservation work took about a year. In mid-October, Bavarian scientists published a report on the results of their research, as well as photographs of the chair and details of the ornaments.
Medieval chair from a woman’s grave. Photo gallery
Until now, only about thirty early medieval burials with this kind of furniture as funeral gifts have been discovered in Europe, but only six of them were made of metal. Only isolated fragments of the wooden ones have survived. The frame of the Rothenburg chair was perfectly preserved – so much so that the restorers were even able to show this find in its open form.
Details from the report
Before work began in the restoration workshop, the block in which the chair was located was examined using a computed tomograph. In these images, scientists were especially delighted by the decorative notches – inlays preserved on brass inserts. They are made in the form of spirals, rhombuses and zigzags.
Analysis of the soil in which the chair is located showed that the material for the seat was probably the skin of some kind of animal, as evidenced by characteristic mineral remains. To fasten the seat, long narrow holes are made in the vertical slats of the frame.
The presence of such a funeral gift indicates high status. During excavations in this women’s grave, they also discovered, in particular, multi-colored glass beads, a belt, metal brooches, a large pearl, and a stone brooch. Nearby was the grave of a man, which contained a spear, shield and other objects.
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