140 km from the Czech border, a unique Germanic princely grave from the time of the Migration of Nations is discovered

Between Brücken and Hackpfüffel in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, a richly furnished grave of a Germanic nobleman was found in a mound dating from 480 - 530 AD. Six women and eleven animals were buried in a circle around the prince. According to experts, this is the most important archaeological site in Germany in the last 40 years...

The tomb is part of a burial site dating back to the Migration of Nations. It was discovered by accident during the construction of a chicken breeding facility. Among the most interesting items of grave goods are. A 1,800-year-old bronze figure of a Germanic god, a glass bowl with beautiful wave decoration in pristine condition, a glass spindle horsetail, a silverbronze gilded fibulae with textile remnants, an iron sword and shield or a gold coin minted during the reign of the East Roman emperor Zeno around 480.

"There are almost 60 graves here," said lead archaeologist Arnold Muhl. "The glassware comes from Gallo-Roman workshops along the Rhine; only local artists mastered the technique. The remains of a high-ranking person have not yet been found, but they are probably hidden in a bronze vessel placed in the middle of the mound."

In fact, some of the grave goods were recovered in situ - in their original location for closer examination under laboratory conditions. With special care, the entire soil block was removed, along with the metal remains of the vessel, which may have been the hiding place for the prince's remains. The vessel lay in the centre of the mound, and around it the graves of six women were aligned in a circle; they seemed to form sunbeams. They were probably killed deliberately to accompany the deceased to the other world. The cattle, horses and dogs were buried after the deceased nobleman had been laid to rest and the cairn had been piled up; they were probably sacrifices in honour of the deceased, or they were favourite animals during his lifetime.

It is extremely fortunate for archaeologists that the burial site is located in a landscape of severe depression. Over the centuries, a layer of soil about 120 cm high has accumulated over it, so even though the land has been cultivated for many years, the graves have never been damaged. There are no signs of their presence visible on the surface, so the graves have been preserved from the raids of robbers.

Analysis of the artifacts recovered in situ in the laboratory is still ongoing and partial results have not been presented as of the date of publication of this article. The exact location of the burial site has been kept secret until now for security reasons.

Roman Němec

The site of the most important German discovery of this type in the last 40 years lies only 140 km from our border.

The burial site

Remains of 11 animals - including cattle. horses and dogs


Block of soil with bronze cauldron to be analysed in laboratory

Incredibly detailed and well preserved clasps

A superbly preserved glass bowl awaits further examination in the workshop of the Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte

The Germanic god statuette is about 1,800 years old

Arnold Muhl shows the clasps

Incredibly detailed and well preserved clasps

Gold Coin of the East Roman Emperor Zeno

Sources: bild.de, goldene-aue.de, dailymail.co.uk