Latest news with #BavarianStateOfficeforMonumentPreservation
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Science
- The Irish Sun
Bizarre 1,350-year-old burial of blue-eyed ‘Ice Prince' uncovered alongside dismembered sacrifice and treasure
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have uncovered the 1,350-year-old burial chamber of a young blue-eyed boy, packed full with ancient treasures. A small sword, rare silk clothes and a gold cross were just a handful of the items found with the child, indicating he came from a wealthy family. 5 He was buried in leather clothes, according to researchers, with a small sword on a richly decorated belt Credit: BLfD 5 The boy, who experts believe was 2.5-years-old when he died, was buried with silver bracelets on his arms and silver spurs attached to his shoes Credit: BLfD 5 One of the boy's garments was a long-sleeved shirt made from linen and trimmed with strips of silk Credit: BLFD He was buried in leather clothes, according to researchers, with a small sword on a richly decorated belt. The boy, who experts believe was 2.5-years-old when he died, was buried with silver bracelets on his arms and silver spurs attached to his shoes, according to a statement from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (BLfD). The boy has been dubbed the "Ice Prince" because archaeologists flash froze the burial chamber using liquid nitrogen to excavate its contents in a single block over 14 hours. DNA analysis suggested the boy had blue eyes and light-colored hair, while radiocarbon dating indicates he died between A.D. 670 and 680. READ MORE ON ARCHAEOLOGY A new study of the burial, which was first discovered in the town of Mattsies in Bavaria in 2021, has revealed the body was laid on a fur blanket within the chamber. One of the boy's garments was a long-sleeved shirt made from linen and trimmed with strips of silk. Silk was hard to come by at the time, and was only available through the Byzantine Empire, according to LiveScience. The cross, made from thin strips of gold, may also indicate early Christian beliefs, before Bavaria was Christianised in the eighth century. Most read in Science A bronze basin, a comb, a wooden bowl and a drinking cup with silver fittings were also placed on a woven mat at the foot of the body. Dozens of medieval skeletons in mysterious stone coffins unearthed by man renovating his cellar The remains of hazelnuts, apples and a pear were also found, alongside dismembered remains of an animal. Experts first thought these bones belonged to a dog. However, the creature has since been identified as a piglet, which may have been cooked and placed as a food offering. The latest analysis from BLfD suggests the child died of a "chronic infection" in the middle-ear. "The boy's death must have shocked his regionally important family," the statement said. "They apparently made great efforts to give the child a burial in keeping with his social status." The burial chamber was made of stone, with a stone ceiling that sealed the remains and artefacts off from the world for 1,350 years. The entire burial, therefore, was in "excellent condition," according to the experts. While silk is relatively durable, it is still susceptible to degrading over time, which can make long-term preservation challenging. However, the tightly sealed was able to preserve much of the fabric, researchers said. 5 The boy has been dubbed the "Ice Price" because archaeologists flash froze the burial chamber to excavate its contents in a single block Credit: BLFD 5 The latest analysis from BLfD suggests the child died of a "chronic infection" in the middle-ear Credit: BLFD
Miami Herald
23-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Mystery around death of 1-year-old ‘ice prince' from medieval Germany now solved
After discovering an extraordinary 1,350-year-old grave in Germany in 2021, researchers have now solved the mystery surrounding the death of a child buried there. Dressed in fine silk, linen and leather, archaeologists knew right away the child must have been a member of a high-status, regionally important family, according to a May 22 news release from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation. To preserve the contents of the child's grave, discovered about 56 miles west of Munich in Tussenhausen, experts flash-froze the burial chamber. This allowed them to lift it out of the ground as one whole piece — a technique specially developed by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, according to the release. Scientists determined the blond, blue-eyed child, who came to be known as the 'Ice Prince of Mattsies' thanks to the preservation technique used on his grave, lived some time between 670 and 680 AD. It was determined the child died at the age of 1 1/2 from a chronic infection stemming from a middle ear infection, according to the release. This was a common fate for children in the Middle Ages, experts said. Most children, however, were not buried with such riches. The Ice Prince of Mattsies was buried on a Roman estate in a building that was adapted to be a burial and memorial site, according to the release. The burial chamber was made entirely of stone and carved by skilled stonemasons, experts said. Inside, the child was laid to rest on a hide. He was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt made of fine linen and silk, which experts said could only be obtained through contact with the Byzantine Empire and was a status symbol. He wore silver bracelets on his arms and silver spurs on his shoes. He also wore a sword with a leather scabbard ornately decorated with gold, officials said. Objects at the foot of his burial chamber indicated the family's high status, including a bronze basin that contained a comb, a wooden bowl, a drinking cup with silver fittings, and the remains of hazelnuts, apples, and a pear, according to the release. Experts said the burial room had been re-roofed twice, including that it was used as a place of remembrance for many years, per the release. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation.
