Kinship and mobility in 11th Century A.D. Gammertingen, Germany: an interdisciplinary approach

P.V. Grumbkow, S. Frommer, L.M. Kootker, G.R. Davies, J. Mazanec, S. Hummel

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Excavation in and around a Medieval church in Gammertingen, Germany, revealed the skeletal remains of eight individuals dating to the 10th and 11th century AD. Archaeologists hypothesized that the individuals were the first members of a family later known as the Counts of Gammertingen, a medieval high nobility family. In an interdisciplinary approach, Strontium isotope and ancient DNA techniques were performed in order to test the hypothesis that the church was used as a family burial site and to investigate the provenance of family members. Seven of the eight individuals can be placed in a three-generation genealogy. The isotope analyses establish that the eighth individual had a different birthplace and possibly became a member of the Counts of Gammertingen through marriage. Further, genetic data revealed that distant relatives of the paternal lineage are still present in this area today. Thus, the combined results lead to a very detailed knowledge about a 1000-year old noble family. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3768-3776
JournalJournal of Archaeological Science
Issue number40
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Kinship and mobility in 11th Century A.D. Gammertingen, Germany: an interdisciplinary approach'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this