Ein frühbyzantinisches Waffengrab aus Pergamon

Interpretationsmöglichkeiten aus archäologischer und naturwissenschaftlicher Sicht

Abstract

Excavation of an ancient street during the 2006 excavation campaign brought to light an early Byzantine burial placed in the drain under the street.

This is the only early Byzantine armed burial from Pergamon known so far. The weaponry and accessories, which indicate that the deceased was a warrior, pose questions concerning his origin and social environment. Anthropological analysis reveals the buried individual to be a male aged 18–22 and can reconstruct his presumably violent death. Given the archaeologically assured dating of the burial within the early seventh century A.D., it seems likely that his death occurred during conflict in the course of the Arab incursions into the Byzantine Empire.

Significantly enhancing the archaeological findings, an analysis of strontium and oxygen isotopes from the bones and teeth of the deceased has provided important information about his possible geographical and social background.