Unique Early Alemannic Chamber Grave Discovered In Gerstetten, Germany

A view of the grave discovered by archaeologists. Image credit: ArchaeoBW - State Office for the Conservation of Monuments of the Stuttgart Regional Council.

In Baden-Württemberg, early Alemannic graves are relatively scarce, typically found in small clusters of five to twelve graves. It is possible that additional graves may be discovered in the southern adjacent area, which has not yet been thoroughly investigated.

The artifacts were transported to the restoration workshop in Esslingen. The two ceramic vessels have already undergone restoration. The excavation company is still documenting the remaining excavation finds, along with the human bones.

A rib from the man was sampled for radiocarbon dating and sent directly from the excavation site to a laboratory in Mannheim. The results corroborate the typological dating of the grave goods, and suggest that the man likely died between 263 and 342 AD.

The comb unearthed in the Alemannic tomb fated to 4th century AD. Image credit: Yvonne Mühleis (State Office for the Conservation of Monuments of the Stuttgart Regional Council)

The archaeological investigations at the site will be continued at the end of the year.

The Alemanni were a Germanic people composed of tribes within the Germanic Suebi group. They settled in Germany, specifically south of the Main River and east of the Rhine. Many historians say these people are first mentioned in Roman writings in 213 AD, based on an account of a Roman attack on them. However, some researchers suggest that the Alemanni may have been recorded as early as 98 AD. Gerstetten (the Heidenheim district of Baden-Württemberg in the East Württemberg region) is an old small town that could date back to the late Merovingian period.