[MR] History Blog: 7th C. Boy Warrior's Grave

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

A few days ago the History Blog offered a post on the discovery of a
remarkable grave in Bavaria. It is remarkable not just because it is the
burial of a 10-year-old given a warrior's burial, but because of the unique
method used by archaeologists to remove the entire grave for study (more on
this in a minute).

The burial was found near Tussenhausen, Germany. The tomb had a brick floor
and carefully fitted stone walls, which with the roof were tight enough to
resist soil intrusion. The child warrior was buried with a sword, belt and
scabbard, along with rich grave goods such as gold crosses, silver
bracelets, and a bronze bowl. The skeleton of a dog was at the boy's feet.
The child was apparently a member of a warrior elite.

The grave was raised intact by building a box around it, then freezing the
remains and the other goodies with liquid nitrogen. The boy and his
treasures are now safely in a museum laboratory, and he is being slowly
unfrozen for study and conservation. Pretty neat, eh?

The illustrated story is at  http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/64490 .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆