HALLE, GERMANY—Live Science reports that researchers are investigating the site of central Germany’s Brücken-Hackpfüffel cemetery, which is associated with the early medieval manor home of a wealthy aristocrat. Discovered during excavations in summer 2020, the cemetery was in use between A.D. 470 and 540, during the short-lived period of the Thuringian Kingdom. Among the 80 burials in the cemetery, the researchers have recovered imported glass bowls; gold jewelry including brooches, hairpins, and necklaces; and weapons such as swords, lances, spears, and shields. The wealthiest of the graves are thought to belong to those who lived in the manor, said archaeologist Arnold Muhl of the Halle State Museum of Prehistory. The researchers also discovered a pit holding the bones of four cattle, five horses, two dogs, and bronze fragments that may be the remains of a cauldron. The contents of the pit were removed from the site in a block for future study, Muhl explained. The positions of some of the graves suggests they were placed to avoid disturbing this pit, which may have been part of a burial mound holding the remains of an important person, he added. Chemical analysis of the bones that could reveal the birthplace of the cemetery occupants is also planned. To read about German archaeologists' discovery of the grave of a wealthy Roman woman who was buried with her jewelry and makeup kit, go to "Beauty Endures."
