The skeletons of a male and female were unearthed by archaeologists in Germany. Interestingly, one skeleton was observed to miss a significant part of its skull.
1,000-Year-Old Male, Female Skeletons Found
More specifically, one of the skeleton's skulls was observed to be fully hollowed out.
Archaeologists came across the odd finding during excavations close to a 1,000-year-old ancient royal palace. This structure was built by Roman Emperor Otto the Great in the village of Helfta, in the Saxony-Anhalt German State.
Archaeologist Oliver Dietrich, who is with the German Archaeological Institute, explains that with both skeletons buried right next to each other, there is a possibility that they were actually a married couple.
The female skeleton indicates that the woman was a bit shorter compared to the man. The woman would have had a height of 5 feet and 1 inch.
As for the man, he was buried with several grave goods, such as iron objects. These include a belt set, a knife, and an iron staff tip. These findings show that he could have been a nobleman when he died.
Archaeology professor Felix Biermann from the University of Szczecin notes that they conclude that he lived around A.D. 900 and was a Frankish castle or hillfort official. As the man did not have any weapons, he may have been an official and not a warrior.
The grave of the woman, however, lacked grave goods. This could mean that she was robbed or that she may have converted to Christianity. Biermann explains that the reason behind the absence of grave goods at the woman's burial is not easy to figure out, adding to the possibility that robbery took place later on.
However, Biermann notes that it is more likely that the woman or the people who buried her had more Christian roots. Both of these individuals lived during a period when acceptance of Christianity was growing. In such a case, choosing not to have burial objects could signify Christianity, while having burial objects could signify more traditional sentiments.
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Damaged Skull
However, what alarmed the archaeologists was that facial bones were missing from the woman's skeleton. Further analysis showed that her skull was not scooped out. Rather than this, her skull ended up damaged due to the shallow placement of the grave and its direct location under the layer of soil.
Biermann explains that the skull of the woman ended up being damaged by subsequent grave disturbances. This could have been a plow or some small animals that had their burrows built at the grave. Biermann adds that there is nothing extraordinary about it.
Archaeologists are performing more analysis to learn more about the duo's identities and deaths.
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