Ein frühmittelalterterliches Gräberfeld bei Dittenheim (D)

In the early medieval cemetery of Dittenheim (D), the following discoveries were made : 238 graves containing the remains of 244 inhumation burials, ten cremations, three graves of horses and one circular ditch of Merovingian times. The cemetery was used from the second half of the 6th century until the end of the 7th century. One can observe two different ethnic components in the oldest graves. One stems form the Franconian regions, while the other is related to Germanic tribes in the Saxonian/Thuringian region of the river Elbe. Based on the development of the settlement in the region, one can conclude that the oldest graves belong to a population of «Elbgermanen» which was governed by the Francs. It is likely that the Francs ruled and settled people to protect the route to Italy.
The objects from the 7th century, however, are of local origin; certain types of pottery are found only in the lower and middle part of the valley of the Altmühl. In the beginning, none of the burials were accompanied by grave goods of high value. However, in the second half of the 7th century, a group of wealthy young men and boys was separately buried in the northern part of the cemetery.