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

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985912%3A_____%2F20%3A00537634" target="_blank" >RIV/67985912:_____/20:00537634 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082" target="_blank" >https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082" target="_blank" >10.1080/00393630.2019.1677082</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

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

Original language description

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.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

60102 - Archaeology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA18-00477S" target="_blank" >GA18-00477S: Between Avar and Carolingian Empire. Nodal Points of long-distance Contacts of Bohemia in 8th and 9th Century</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2020

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Studies in Conservation

ISSN

0039-3630

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

65

Issue of the periodical within the volume

6

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

13

Pages from-to

333-345

UT code for WoS article

000499837100001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85076180071