The animal was buried among the people in the cemetery for nobles and warriors of the Merovingian era.
Excavations took place in the city of Knitlingen, in the southern part of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. A team of archaeologists examining over 110 graves in a cemetery dedicated to members of the local Merovingian elite discovered a decapitated horse next to its rider, as well as a treasure trove of jewelry and weapons.
The Merovingians were a Frankish dynasty that ruled from the middle of the 5th century until 751. Their kingdom included all the Franks, who were Germanic tribes, and the northern Gaulish Romans. As the Roman Empire collapsed, the kingdom grew and encompassed most of modern France, extending eastward to what is now part of Germany and Switzerland. The found graves date back to the second half of the sixth century.
The graves were arranged in regular rows, mostly in chronological order, but some of the more prominent members of the social elite were buried in a circular ditch out of turn. Some of the graves were just holes in the ground. However, there were also burials of people of high status in wooden coffins.
Although the cemetery was plundered in the Middle Ages, archaeologists have managed to find a wide range of funerary artifacts, including pearl necklaces, brooches (clasps), earrings, bracelets, brooches, belt accessories, knives and combs. In the men’s burials, weapons were also found – swords, spears, shields, arrowheads. Earthenware with remnants of food was buried together with the deceased as burial offerings. Archaeologists were able to determine this because the vessels contained eggshells and bones. “The inhabitants of the settlement were buried in their traditional costumes in accordance with early medieval customs,” the Stuttgart regional council, which oversaw the excavation, said in a statement.
Burial items from some of the male graves indicated that the deceased were warrior riders. A horse grave was discovered next to one of these burials.
So far, scientists cannot say for sure what this burial means. The Merovingian kingdom was predominantly pagan, and the cult of the horse was very widespread among many pagan peoples. The horse was considered a guide in the world of the dead; it was often sacrificed along with the owner. However, in this case, we are hardly talking about a sacrifice. Rather, it was the burial of a horse that fell in battle with its owner. The head was removed, probably after death, in order to use the skull of the famous horse for ritual purposes or as decoration.
Artifacts and skeletal remains were sent for further study. The excavation is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022.
Based on materials from The history blog
