Archaeologists excavating an ancient settlement in north-eastern France have discovered an exceptional 5th-century funerary complex containing richly furnished burials, weapons, jewellery and two horses.
The discovery was made at Horbourg-Wihr, near Colmar in the Haut-Rhin department, during a preventative excavation by France’s National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Inrap).
Excavations revealed an extensive sequence of occupation within a Gallo-Roman vicus situated close to the Rhine frontier, or limes, followed centuries later by the establishment of a burial ground during the second half of the 5th century AD.
The funerary complex is particularly important because archaeological evidence for Germanic settlement in Alsace during this transitional period between the end of Roman rule and the beginning of the Merovingian era remains relatively scarce.
Richly furnished 5th-century burials
Archaeologists identified eleven graves containing adults or older adolescents and three containing children, together with two horse burials.
Two male graves stand out because of the quality of the weapons and other objects placed with the deceased.
The grave goods include a sword partially preserved inside its wooden scabbard, a scramasax – a single-edged weapon associated with the Early Medieval period – a shield and an angon, a distinctive type of barbed spear.
According to Inrap, such weapons are characteristic of burials associated with high-status Germanic warriors or foederati, groups incorporated into the military structures of the late Roman Empire.
Gold and silver cloisonné fittings decorated with garnets were also recovered from clothing and weaponry, indicating the elevated status of some of those buried at the site.
Two other graves contained assemblages interpreted as female-associated grave goods, including pairs of silver-gilt bow brooches, silver bird-shaped brooches, glass-bead necklaces, belt buckles and a bone comb.
The two horses were buried within the funerary complex together with elements of their harnesses.
Evidence of violent deaths
Initial examination of the skeletons has also revealed evidence of injury and poor health.
At least two individuals had probable fractures that had not been properly reduced. In one case, the injury appears to have caused ankylosis of the knee, severely restricting movement of the lower leg.
More strikingly, two individuals show skeletal trauma that archaeologists believe was caused by bladed weapons.
Researchers found no evidence of bone healing around the injuries, suggesting that the wounds occurred at or close to the time of death.
Further anthropological analysis is required to confirm the preliminary interpretation.
If confirmed, the evidence would suggest that the weapons placed in some graves were not simply symbolic expressions of warrior status and that at least some members of the community experienced interpersonal violence.
Cemetery established over Roman settlement
The burial ground was established on an area that had already been occupied for several centuries.
Archaeologists found ancient deposits across the excavation area within a complex sequence of archaeological layers approximately 1.5 metres thick.
The earliest activity dates to around the middle of the 1st century AD, when pits and ditches were dug into the waterlogged ancient soil.
Occupation became considerably denser during the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
Buildings constructed from perishable materials on stone foundations were arranged around a network of roads and paths running approximately north-east to south-west.
The road system changed over time as the settlement developed.
Excavators also identified hearths, wells, large pits and other structures whose functions have not yet been established. Further analysis will investigate whether some were associated with craft or industrial activities.
During the 4th century, the area became covered by a layer of dark silt and appears to have been occupied only sporadically.
By the second half of the 5th century, part of the former Roman settlement had been transformed into a burial ground.
A rare glimpse of post-Roman Alsace
Most of the cemetery appears to have been identified, although archaeologists have not securely established its western boundary.
Reworked fragments of human bone found in that direction could indicate that additional graves once extended beyond the excavated area.
The graves themselves were generally quadrangular or trapezoidal and closely adapted to the bodies of the deceased.
For researchers, the cemetery offers an unusual opportunity to investigate the population of Alsace during a period of profound political and social transformation.
The second half of the 5th century followed the weakening and eventual disappearance of Western Roman imperial authority, while new political structures and identities were developing across the former Roman provinces.
The combination of Germanic style weapons, high status jewellery, horse burials and violence makes the Horbourg-Wihr cemetery especially interesting for understanding these changes.
However, grave goods alone cannot necessarily prove the ethnic identity of those buried there and further archaeological and anthropological work will be needed to determine origins and relationships.
The discovery therefore gives us a rare archaeological glimpse of a community living through the transition between Roman and Early Medieval worlds in the Rhine frontier region.
Sources : Inrap
