Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death
The cloister church of Riesa (Saxony, Germany) contains two burial crypts which were used from the 17th to 19th century AD by local noble families, namely the barons von Felgenhauer, Hanisch/von Odeleben and von Welck. The crypt beneath the altar originally contained 50 inhumations of which about 30...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Lodz University Press
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Acta Universitatis Lodziensis: Folia Archaeologica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/archaeo/article/view/9492 |
| _version_ | 1819177213151412224 |
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| author | Amelie Alterauge Cornelia Hofmann |
| author_facet | Amelie Alterauge Cornelia Hofmann |
| author_sort | Amelie Alterauge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The cloister church of Riesa (Saxony, Germany) contains two burial crypts which were used from the 17th to 19th century AD by local noble families, namely the barons von Felgenhauer, Hanisch/von Odeleben and von Welck. The crypt beneath the altar originally contained 50 inhumations of which about 30 are still preserved at present, either as coffins and/or mummies, while the northern crypt contained eight interments.
During the last two centuries, the crypts have experienced major changes which could partly be reconstructed through historical records, photographs and oral history. The aim of the investigations, supported by the parish and the city museum, was to document the current state-of-preservation and to identify the inhumations by combining different types of evidence.
The coffins were visually inspected and dated by typo-chronological comparisons, and inscriptions were transliterated whenever possible. Material, fabrication, clothing type and dating of the garments were determined during costume analysis. The mummified remains were subjected to a morphological investigation, including X-rays. Different body treatments resulting in natural or artificial mummification could be observed. In selected cases, samples for aDNA analysis were taken to test for kinship between individuals, and stable isotope analysis was performed for the reconstruction of diet, origin and age of weaning. Probable identification could only be achieved for the individuals with contextual information; however, the bioarchaeological analyses are still ongoing.
The coffin ornamentation and inscriptions as well as the garments show chronological changes as well as individual preferences from the 17th to 19th century, most distinctive in the children burials. Faith in God and hope of resurrection remain constant attitudes to death, but familial affiliation becomes an important factor in early modern noble burials. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:23:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7263332904ae4fafab972ddcd6eef795 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0208-6034 2449-8300 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T21:23:05Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Lodz University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Universitatis Lodziensis: Folia Archaeologica |
| spelling | doaj.art-7263332904ae4fafab972ddcd6eef7952022-12-21T18:12:08ZdeuLodz University PressActa Universitatis Lodziensis: Folia Archaeologica0208-60342449-83002020-12-0135739610.18778/0208-6034.35.059388Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to DeathAmelie Alterauge0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6838-271XCornelia Hofmann1University of Bern, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Department of Physical Anthropology & University of Bern, Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Department of Prehistory, SwitzerlandMuseums of the City of Dresden, GermanyThe cloister church of Riesa (Saxony, Germany) contains two burial crypts which were used from the 17th to 19th century AD by local noble families, namely the barons von Felgenhauer, Hanisch/von Odeleben and von Welck. The crypt beneath the altar originally contained 50 inhumations of which about 30 are still preserved at present, either as coffins and/or mummies, while the northern crypt contained eight interments. During the last two centuries, the crypts have experienced major changes which could partly be reconstructed through historical records, photographs and oral history. The aim of the investigations, supported by the parish and the city museum, was to document the current state-of-preservation and to identify the inhumations by combining different types of evidence. The coffins were visually inspected and dated by typo-chronological comparisons, and inscriptions were transliterated whenever possible. Material, fabrication, clothing type and dating of the garments were determined during costume analysis. The mummified remains were subjected to a morphological investigation, including X-rays. Different body treatments resulting in natural or artificial mummification could be observed. In selected cases, samples for aDNA analysis were taken to test for kinship between individuals, and stable isotope analysis was performed for the reconstruction of diet, origin and age of weaning. Probable identification could only be achieved for the individuals with contextual information; however, the bioarchaeological analyses are still ongoing. The coffin ornamentation and inscriptions as well as the garments show chronological changes as well as individual preferences from the 17th to 19th century, most distinctive in the children burials. Faith in God and hope of resurrection remain constant attitudes to death, but familial affiliation becomes an important factor in early modern noble burials.https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/archaeo/article/view/9492cryptburialmummypost-medievalnobility |
| spellingShingle | Amelie Alterauge Cornelia Hofmann Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death Acta Universitatis Lodziensis: Folia Archaeologica crypt burial mummy post-medieval nobility |
| title | Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death |
| title_full | Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death |
| title_fullStr | Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death |
| title_full_unstemmed | Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death |
| title_short | Crypt Burials from the Cloister Church of Riesa (Germany) – Changes of Funerary Customs, Body Treatment, and Attitudes to Death |
| title_sort | crypt burials from the cloister church of riesa germany changes of funerary customs body treatment and attitudes to death |
| topic | crypt burial mummy post-medieval nobility |
| url | https://czasopisma.uni.lodz.pl/archaeo/article/view/9492 |
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