Dubious Early Medieval Jewels from Matzhausen (Bavaria): New Material and Technological Investigations

0537634 - ARÚ 2021 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Hasil, Jan - Ottenwelter, Estelle - Barčáková, Ludmila
Dubious Early Medieval Jewels from Matzhausen (Bavaria): New Material and Technological Investigations.
Studies in Conservation. Roč. 65, č. 6 (2020), s. 333-345. ISSN 0039-3630. E-ISSN 2047-0584
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA18-00477S
Institutional support: RVO:67985912
Keywords : silver jewels * SEM-EDX * X-radiography * Early Middle Ages * Bavaria
OECD category: Archaeology
Impact factor: 0.739, year: 2020
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082

A controversial set of elite jewels assumed to be of early medieval period, recovered in 1937–1938 from a burial site in Matzhausen (northeastern Bavaria) was investigated to determine their technological coherency as well as their authenticity. The discovery of these jewels was exploited by German nationalists to argue that the material culture observed in Bohemia and Moravia in the ninth century had Germanic roots. The circumstances of their discovery, however, remain unclear. Research in archives demonstrated the involvement of the SS Ahnenerbe organisation in the recovery of the jewels. Are these jewels authentic or are they forgeries manufactured or modified by a modern craftsman to serve German expansionist nationalism? Three jewels recovered in the grave – a gombik (hollow spherical pendant), an earring with chainlet, and a zoomorphic figurine – were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-radiography, and stereomicroscopy. The investigation revealed a very heterogeneous set of objects with respect to technology and state of preservation. It also uncovered repairs and past invasive interventions involving modern metal and solder. Comparison with similar types of jewels from Bohemia and Moravia points to important differences in construction and technology, which confirms the uniqueness of this set of objects and casts suspicion on their authenticity.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0315445