HELFTA, GERMANY—According to a Live Science report, excavation of graves found near the 1,000-year-old site of a palace built in northern Germany by Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great has uncovered the remains of a man and a woman buried next to each other. Oliver Dietrich of the German Archaeological Institute said the two may have been a married couple. Artifacts recovered from the man’s grave include an iron knife; a buckle and tongue strap from a belt; and the iron tip of a nobleman’s staff. “We conclude that this man lived in the ninth century A.D. and was an official in the Frankish castle or hillfort that existed there at the time,” said Felix Biermann of the University of Szczecin. “As he had no weapons with him, he was probably more of an official than a warrior.” No grave goods were found with the woman’s remains, however. Biermann explained that her grave may have been robbed, but it is also possible that her burial reflects the gradual acceptance of Christianity during this period. The woman’s skeleton had also been damaged, perhaps by a plow or by small, burrowing animals, he added. To read about excavations of graves and a basilica in Helfta commissioned by Otto the Great, go to “Otto’s Church.”
