The Archaeology of Medieval Germany: An Introduction

290 Pages·2015·16.423 MB·English

by  Günter P. Fehring

ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS:
ARCHAEOLOGY
Volume 22
THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF
MEDIEVAL GERMANY
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THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF
MEDIEVAL GERMANY
an introduction
GÜNTER P. FEHRING
Translated by
ROSS SAMSON
Firstpublishedin1991
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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