Archaeologists from the consultancy firm ArchaeoBW carrying out survey work at Gerstetten in Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany, for Stuttgart Regional Council ahead of a housing construction project have uncovered a wood-lined grave, according to a press release issued by the council on 27 August 2024. The grave, which was first discovered in May, contained a partial skeleton as well as some trade goods.
Wooden graves of this type are associated with the Alammani, an ancient Germanic tribe first mentioned in Roman records by Lucius Cassius Dio in 213 AD. Such graves are typically date to the fourth century AD and are found in groups of five-to-twelve, and it is possible that other undiscovered graves lie close to the one discovered in Gerstetten.
The skeleton and other items from the grave were taken to the laboratory of the State Office for Monument Preservation of Stuttgart Regional Council in Esslingen, where examination of the skeletal remains determined that they came from a man aged about 60. A radiocarbon date obtained from a rib suggest that the man died between 263 and 342 AD.
As well as the skeleton, a number of items interpreted as grave goods were also found, including a Roman-style glass cup, which may have come from the Roman fort of Guntia (modern Günzburg in Bavaria), two ceramic pots, similar in style to other pots known from the Middle Elbe-Saale region, and a bone comb.
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