Schweissing, Mike
Das merowingerzeitliche Gräberfeld von Dortmund-Asseln
Early medieval cemeteries are rare in Westphalia, even more so in the Ruhr area. Therefore, it was particularly gratifying that in Dortmund-Asseln, during a systematic excavation, fourteen female and ten male individuals could be examined in predominantly undisturbed and, by Westphalian standards, well preserved and excellently equipped inhumation graves. In addition, a horse grave and a dog grave were unearthed. Despite the most difficult soil conditions, the excavator Bernhard Sicherl achieved a maximum of information about the archaeological features, which – combined with the rich find material – provide an excellent basis for the analysis of the graves. The cemetery of Dortmund-Asseln is of particular importance, because models for conceivable social structures could be worked out here on a small scale, which can also contribute to the understanding of ways of life in other places in the Merovingian Period.
