Klengen zur Merowingerzeit: Das frühmittelalterliche Reihengräberfeld „Zwischen den Dörfern“ und sein Umfeld

For several decades, early medieval inhumation burials have been found in various locations in the area around Klengen. In 1999, 20 graves from a large ‘row-grave cemetery (Reihengräberfeld) between Klengen and Kirchdorf were excavated, which are now presented here. These comprise childrens’, female and male burials in equal measure. The graves can be dated primarily to the 6th century, on the basis of their rich quantity of grave goods and a new chronological model. This article argues that the burial site, as well as graves which have previously been found in its immediate vicinity, were used from the late 5th to the 8th centuries. In the broader geographical area beyond, there are yet more locations where the dead were buried in the same period. These include the church of Kirchdorf, first mentioned in the late 9th century, and a probable farmstead referred to as ‘In der Wanne’, as well as a ruined Roman villa at Überauchen and prehistoric burial mounds in the ‘Eggwald’. Over the course of several centuries, various burial places existed side by side in the local community of Klengen, and its ‘place name’ did not characterise an individual settlement site, but rather a broader local space. This set of graves therefore offers insight well beyond that of the site’s immediate local circumstances

‚Christianisierung‘ im archäologischen Vergleich: Merowinger- und Mährerreich

The comparison of two politically and culturally distinct regions promises interesting insights into the process of Christianisation and its successive phases, and can contribute new aspects to the long- standing debate over this issue. A comparison of this type calls for an approach that views the entire process holistically – from the first contact with Christianity to the emergence of congregations and the establishment of parishes. The grave goods deposited in the burials of the row-grave cemeteries of the Merovingian Kingdom do not directly allude to pagan beliefs, but rather express social rank and status. If the articles in question were simultaneously intended for use in the otherworld, they would not be unusual in Christian milieus either. The Moravian Kingdom fits into the overall picture: the grave goods from the burials in churchyards have Christian and not “syncretistic” connotations. In some cases, the proportion of child burials is strikingly high in the Slavic lands of East Central Europe, which was formerly regarded as a regional, rather than a general phenomenon. Interestingly enough, the highest number of grave goods were found in girls’ burials of infans II age, while in the West, only adults were accorded the full range of grave goods. The differences between “western” and “eastern” Christianity can principally be traced to political conditions

New Questions Instead of Old Answers: Archaeological Expectations of aDNA Analysis. Medieval Worlds|Volume 2016.4 medieval worlds Volume 2016.4|

Traditional views and ›master narratives‹ have long been outdated by recent research. Identity has become a keyword in social research. It means the self-consciousness of groups. Ethnic identity therefore characterises the perceptions of a people and their particularity, and varies among every other nation. Nevertheless, this is a social and cultural construct depending on each group’s specific situation. Ethnic identity has to be flexible and appropriate to the necessities and interests of each group. Genes are a matter of biology. Ancient DNA is preserved in smaller fragments which mainly allow approximations of population development. Modern DNA reflects actual distribution and the complex, but overlapping historical information at the population level. Expecting any direct accord between population history and social history would be a fall-back into nineteenth century conceptions of the ideal nation state: homogeneous in space, race, culture, language and people. This could only be a rare historical exception. The complex relations between both research fields provide promising perspectives, which can be followed only by a narrow exchange between biological and historical disciplines. Together, new and adequate questions should be developed

Aufsatzstoffe für die unteren Klassen höherer Lehranstalten

von F. BratherProgr.-Nr. 102

New Questions Instead of Old Answers: Archaeological Expectations of aDNA Analysis. Medieval Worlds|Volume 2016.4 medieval worlds Volume 2016.4|

Traditional views and ›master narratives‹ have long been outdated by recent research. Identity has become a keyword in social research. It means the self-consciousness of groups. Ethnic identity therefore characterises the perceptions of a people and their particularity, and varies among every other nation. Nevertheless, this is a social and cultural construct depending on each group’s specific situation. Ethnic identity has to be flexible and appropriate to the necessities and interests of each group. Genes are a matter of biology. Ancient DNA is preserved in smaller fragments which mainly allow approximations of population development. Modern DNA reflects actual distribution and the complex, but overlapping historical information at the population level. Expecting any direct accord between population history and social history would be a fall-back into nineteenth century conceptions of the ideal nation state: homogeneous in space, race, culture, language and people. This could only be a rare historical exception. The complex relations between both research fields provide promising perspectives, which can be followed only by a narrow exchange between biological and historical disciplines. Together, new and adequate questions should be developed