Archaeologists in Germany have discovered a 1,700-year-old grave of a Barbarian, also referred to as a “savage,” who lived on the fringes of the Roman Empire. The grave contained valuable burial goods, including glassware, ceramics, and a fine-toothed comb.
This grave is believed to date back to the first half of the 4th century and holds the remains of a man who died at approximately 60 years of age. The burial site was uncovered in May during excavations prior to the construction of new homes in the center of Gerstetten village, located about 64 kilometers east of Stuttgart in southwestern Germany, according to a statement from the Stuttgart Regional Council. The grave was elaborately constructed and surrounded by a wooden chamber, situated in a prominent yet isolated location.
Burial goods of the “savage,” including a complex comb, have been sent to a nearby laboratory for cleaning and restoration. (Photo: Yvonne Mühleis/State Office for Monument Preservation, Stuttgart Regional Council)
Among the burial goods, a high-quality glass cup may have originated from a nearby Roman fort at Guntia, now known as Günzburg, while the distinctive features of other burial items suggest they came from further north, in the Elbe-Saale region, which is now part of central Germany.
The Barbarians
The northern boundary of the Roman Empire in this area was known as the “Upper Germanic Region”, extending north of Gerstetten; beyond that lay the territory called “Magna Germania” or Greater Germania, where various Germanic tribes resided.
The Roman Limes was strictly guarded by legions stationed at forts along the border, such as the fort at Guntia, but the lifestyle and burial rituals of the Germans were conducted outside these forts.
The Romans referred to the Germans as “barbarians,” meaning “those who speak differently,” a term they used to describe people who were not Roman and lived beyond their territories.
After the 5th century, the Germanic tribes led by the Visigoths and Vandals invaded Roman territories in the south, hastening the collapse of the empire.
The man buried in Gerstetten was likely an Alemanni, a federation of Germanic tribes whose people lived near the Upper Rhine Valley. The statement noted that Alemanni graves from this period are quite rare in the region. Investigations suggest that this man was buried between the years 263 and 342 AD.
Such graves are often found in groups of five to twelve individuals, and archaeologists believe there may be two more graves in the surrounding area.
