Did you know that beneath our feet lies a silent city of the early Middle Ages? This is the Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters in Munich. It is a place where the stories of the Baiuvarians, the early inhabitants of Bavaria, are buried.
The Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters is not just any burial ground. It is a window into a time of transition. It shows the shift from Roman rule to the rise of the Baiuvarians and the growing influence of Christianity. Imagine this place bustling with activity around 700 AD. People are burying their dead in orderly rows. This is how these cemeteries got their name. Reihengräberfeld means “row grave field” in German.
The discovery of the Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters was quite accidental. In 1938 workers stumbled upon it while digging for gravel to build a railway siding. They noticed human remains and grave goods. The Bavarian State Department for Monument Protection quickly stepped in. Within two months they examined 358 burials. Most dated back to the 6th century. Some even went back to the late 5th century. This was shortly after the end of Roman rule. World War II brought the excavations to a halt.
Excavations resumed in 1961 led by the Archaeological State Collection. The goal was to map the entire cemetery. By 1963 another 477 graves were found. Archaeologists were able to determine the original boundaries of the cemetery. They had achieved their goal of fully investigating a Baiuvarian cemetery. The Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters had dimensions of about 120 by 55 meters.
The people buried in the Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters were mostly laid to rest on their backs. Their heads pointed east. Grave goods, common until the 8th century, tell us about their lives. Men were buried with weapons and decorated belts. Women received jewelry and intricately crafted garment clasps called fibulae. These objects surely held importance for the deceased in life. Sadly, these valuable items attracted grave robbers. Evidence of their intrusion was found in the disturbed skeletons and even a lost tool.
One remarkable find at the Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters was evidence of grave borders or superstructures. At the eastern edge of the cemetery, the layout of a small wooden building was discovered. It aligned with the graves. This might have been a very early Christian chapel or church. If confirmed it would be the earliest church in the Munich area. Construction could date back to around 700 AD.
The Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters provides invaluable insights into the lives and beliefs of the early Baiuvarians. It shows their burial customs, their social structure and their transition to Christianity. As we stand here we connect with a distant past. The Reihengräberfeld des frühen Mittelalters is a reminder that even in death stories remain.