Anyone who digs into the past in the district of Erding must be careful. Archaeological finds are often only a few centimeters underground – and excavation teams often find what they are looking for in the area. For example in the Kaiser gravel pit near Eichenkofen. A Roman cemetery was discovered there. Twelve graves have been found so far, which tell of dying, but also of the life of the people almost 2000 years ago. There were remains of a pyre, an unusual glaze urn, broken crockery – and an animal figure that still poses a mystery.
It was not the first time that the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments had invited to a press event between the Kaiser mountains of gravel. A Villa Rustica, an agricultural Roman estate, once stood near Eichenkofen. In 2019, foundations were excavated that indicate a Roman thermal bath. And now the graveyard. A few weeks ago, the team of archaeologists came across the twelve, almost 2,000-year-old urn graves of Roman origin, said Martina Pauli, area officer at the State Office for Monument Preservation, at the on-site visit on Wednesday. It can be assumed that the inhabitants of the neighboring villa were buried in the graves. The master of the house, his family and possibly also the servants and slaves.
The excavations in the gravel pit near Eichenkofen continue. Here a member of the archeology team uncovers an urn from Roman times.
(Photo: Stephan Görlich)
As was customary in the Roman Empire, according to Pauli, the residents of the estate cremated their deceased on a kind of pyre, the so-called ustrina. The archaeologists in Eichenkofen very likely found such a cremation site – which is particularly interesting for science, explained Martina Pauli. A pit in which numerous layers of ash were discovered provides clear indications. In addition to the typical ceramic urns, the graves also contain grave goods such as incense gobs, bracelets, nails and oil lamps. Or crockery, because sometimes a plate with knuckle of pork was given to the grave, says Pauli.
In addition, the archaeologists dug a very special glass urn from the ground. The excavation team was able to salvage the exceptionally well-preserved vessel complete with its contents. Otherwise, this rarely succeeds because the material is very susceptible to damage and corrosion, says Pauli. The urn will soon be examined in detail in the restoration workshops of the Bavarian State Office, including X-rays.
Martina Pauli from the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments holds a Roman oil lamp in her hands. The grave goods are also decorated. The motif, according to Pauli: “a jumping dog”.
(Photo: Stephan Görlich)
In addition, another extremely interesting piece was found in Josef Kaiser’s gravel pit, an animal sculpture. Pauli suspects that the figure is part of a larger funerary monument or tombstone. The white limestone does not come from here, it probably comes from the Alps. The figure is badly weathered, the head is missing, but the hind and front legs, the back and the bases of the wings can be seen. It could be a winged lion, a lion griffin or even a sphinx, explained Martina Pauli. From this it can now again be concluded that the figure adorned a larger tombstone or even a grave monument that was visible from afar. The buried could have been the wealthy villa owner.
Head of the excavation, Ulrich Schlitzer from Planateam Archäologie, who has been on site repeatedly since 2011, suspects that there are probably more graves in the Erdinger gravel pit. He pointed out how careful the team had to be. “30 centimeters of humus removed, and archeology is coming.”
The finds are to become the property of the city of Erding
Harald Krause, director of the Erding Museum and chairman of the Archaeological Association, campaigned for the finds to become the property of the city of Erding and for them to be kept there. Mayor Max Gotz (CSU) said cautiously on Wednesday that he would “aim for the transfer of ownership”. He referred to the financial burden that municipalities and private individuals would have to bear. Because the costs for the excavations have to be paid out of their own pockets. A total of 200,000 euros had already been incurred for him, explained the owner of the gravel pit, Josef Kaiser. Here the state is required, it must be improved, so Gotz.
Sensitivity is therefore called for. The four employees of Planateam also proved that on Wednesday morning. They worked with extreme concentration – squatting or lying down – with brushes, miniature spatulas and folding rules on four pits. As ordered at the press event, a green particle, as small as a pinhead, popped up on the surface. Martina Pauli guessed at first glance that it was probably a piece of a bracelet. And then on Wednesday another burial object came to light, full of earth, but clearly recognizable: a spoon.