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Dubious Early Medieval Jewels from Matzhausen (Bavaria): New Material and Technological Investigations
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SYSNO ASEP 0537634 Document Type J - Journal Article R&D Document Type Journal Article Subsidiary J Článek ve WOS Title Dubious Early Medieval Jewels from Matzhausen (Bavaria): New Material and Technological Investigations Author(s) Hasil, Jan (ARU-G) RID, ORCID, SAI
Ottenwelter, Estelle (ARU-G) RID, SAI, ORCID
Barčáková, Ludmila (ARU-G) SAINumber of authors 3 Source Title Studies in Conservation. - : Routledge - ISSN 0039-3630
Roč. 65, č. 6 (2020), s. 333-345Number of pages 13 s. Publication form Print - P Language eng - English Country GB - United Kingdom Keywords silver jewels ; SEM-EDX ; X-radiography ; Early Middle Ages ; Bavaria Subject RIV AC - Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnology OECD category Archaeology R&D Projects GA18-00477S GA ČR - Czech Science Foundation (CSF) Method of publishing Limited access Institutional support ARU-G - RVO:67985912 UT WOS 000499837100001 EID SCOPUS 85076180071 DOI 10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082 Annotation 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. Workplace Institute of Archaeology (Prague) Contact Lada Šlesingerová, slesingerova@arup.cas.cz, Tel.: 257 014 412 Year of Publishing 2021 Electronic address https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082
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