The early iron age elite burial from Frankfurt am Main, Stadtwald: a new cranial reconstruction and paleopathological reanalysis

Abstract

The Early Iron Age chieftain from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is one of the most important Iron Age grave-finds in Central Europe. It was excavated in 1966/67 and represents a remarkable discovery. An almost complete skeleton together with grave goods, was found in an undisturbed burial mound. The archaeological material is dated to around 700 BCE and therefore one of the oldest known burials of the Early Iron Age elite. The skeletal remains are fragile but allowed for an age estimation of around 50 years at death, while the sex was estimated as male. Here, we present a new reconstruction of the fragmented cranium of the chieftain based on virtual anthropological methods. Furthermore, a study of bilateral asymmetry was carried out on the reconstructed cranium, the 2nd cervical vertebra, and the humeri, in order to explore the possible impact of a healed trauma in the left clavicle on the other skeletal elements. Bilateral cranial linear measurements and surface distance maps between bones and their bilateral counterparts suggest only slight to moderate restrictions in the range of motion caused by the healed trauma. The 3D print of the presented virtual cranial reconstruction together with a facial reconstruction and the original skeletal remains will be on display in a museum context, together with the archaeological material, which will make the Early Iron Age chieftain more accessible to the museum visitors.