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ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: ARCHAEOLOGY Volume 22 THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL GERMANY This page intentionally left blank THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL GERMANY an introduction GÜNTER P. FEHRING Translated by ROSS SAMSON Firstpublishedin1991 Thiseditionfirstpublishedin2015 byRoutledge 2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN andbyRoutledge 711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness ©1987WissenschaftlicheBuchgesellschaft,Darmstadt,Germany;German version ©1991Routledge;Englishtranslation Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedor utilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,now knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinany informationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthe publishers. Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksorregistered trademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanationwithoutintent toinfringe. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary ISBN:978-1-138-79971-4(Set) eISBN:978-1-315-75194-8(Set) ISBN:978-1-138-81336-6(Volume22) eISBN:978-1-315-74821-4(Volume22) Publisher’sNote Thepublisherhasgonetogreatlengthstoensurethequalityofthisbookbut pointsoutthatsomeimperfectionsfromtheoriginalmaybeapparent. Disclaimer Thepublisherhasmadeeveryefforttotracecopyrightholdersandwould welcomecorrespondencefromthosetheyhavebeenunabletotrace. THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL GERMANY an introduction GONTER p . feh rin g Translated by Ross Samson I 8 London and New York First published 1991 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge, a division of Routledge, Chapman and Hall, Inc. 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Gunter Fehring, Einfuhrung in die Archaologie des Mittelalters Copyright © 1987 by Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, Germany Translation © 1991 Routledge Typeset by Archaeological Services and Publishing (ASAP), 197 Great Western Road, Glasgow G4 9EB Printed and bound in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd, Frome and London All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any for or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Fehring, Gunter P. The archaeology of medieval Germany: an introduction. 1. Germany. Archaeology I. Title II. Einfuhrung in die Archaologie des Mittelalters. English 943.02 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Fehring, Gunter P. [Einfiirung in die Archaologie des Mittelalters. English] The archaeology of medieval Germany: an introduction/Gunter P. Fehring; translated by Ross Samson. Translation of: Einfuhrung in die Archaologie des Mittelalters. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Archaeology (Medieval) 2. Germany—Antiquities. 3. Excavations (Archaeology)—Europe 4. Excavations (Archaeology)—Germany. I. Title D125.F4413 1992 936.3—dc20 91-11241 ISBN 0-415-04062-0 CONTENTS Preface ix Translator's Introduction xi Chapter 1. MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY 1 I. Medieval Archaeology as part of the History Discipline 1 II. History of Medieval Archaeological Research in Germany 2 a) Early Medieval Cemeteries 4 b) Churches and Churchyards 5 c) Settlements 7 d) Fortifications and Palaces 10 e) Contribution to Important Questions in Medieval Research 13 m. Disciplinary Boundaries 14 a) Subject Boundaries 14 b) Chronological Limits 17 IV. Organisations Engaged in Medieval Archaeological Research 18 a) Federal Republic of Germany: the West 18 b) Federal Republic of Germany: the East (former GDR) 21 c) Neighbouring Countries 21 d) Addresses 24 V. University Courses in Medieval Archaeology in Germany 25 Chapter 2. THE SOURCES AND THEIR ANALYSIS 27 I. Archaeological Survey and Inventories 27 n. Archaeological Prospecting 30 a) Aerial Photography 30 b) Geophysical Survey 32 vi Contents c) Chemical Prospecting 33 d) Botanical Prospecting 34 III. Excavation Methods and Dating 34 a) Stratigraphy and Relative Chronology 35 b) Stratigraphically-Tied Finds and Absolute Chronology 38 artefacts 39; finds and samples as the objects of scientific dating techniques 41 c) Results 45 d) Archaeological and Historical Dating 45 e) Some Remarks on Excavation Techniques 46 IV. Evaluation of the Excavation 47 a) The Archaeological Study 47 b) Scientific and Specialists' Reports 51 c) Textual and Other Sources 51 V. Publicising the Results of Research 52 a) Academic Information 52 b) Information for the Wider Public 56 Chapter 3. CEMETERIES, CHURCHES, AND CHURCHYARDS 57 I. Cemeteries 57 a) Cremation 58 b) Inhumations 58 c) Grave-Goods 60 d) Social and Economic History 63 e) Anthropological Research 65 f) The S tructu re of the Cemeteries 66 g) Cemeteries with 'Christian' Grave-Goods 68 II. Churches 70 a) Christianity in Late Antiquity and the Question of Continuity into the Early Middle Ages 70 b) Missionary Activity and the Spread of Christianity 73 c) The Relationship of Cemeteries to Churches and Churchyards 75 d) The End and Continuity of the Custom of Burialw ith Grave-Goods 76 e) Burial in Churches, Founders' Graves, and Private Churches 77 f) The Cult of Relics: Reliquaries and Holy Graves 79 g) Churches, Bishoprics, and Monasteries 82 h) Churchyards 86 III. Findings of Physical Anthropology 87