The Sommersdorf mummies-An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany.

Amelie Alterauge,Manuel Kellinghaus,Natallia Shved,Wilfried Rosendahl,Frank Rühli,Christian Jackowski,Frank Maixner,Sandra Lösch,Albert Zink

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183588

Amelie Alterauge, Manuel Kellinghaus + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183588

Copy DOI

Abstract

Sommersdorf Castle (Bavaria, Germany) is a medieval castle complex which has been inhabited by the aristocratic family von Crailsheim. The deceased were entombed in a crypt located in the parapets underneath the castle’s church, resulting in mummification of the bodies. Based on the family chronicle and oral history, identities have been ascribed to the mummies. The aim of the study is therefore to test the accuracy of the historical records in comparison to archaeological, anthropological and genetic data. Today, the crypt houses eleven wooden coffins from the 17th to 19th century AD. In ten of these, mummified and scattered human remains were found. Archive records were studied in order to identify names, ancestry, titles, occupation, date of birth and death, and place of interment of the individuals. The coffins were visually inspected and dated by typo-chronology, and the mummified and scattered skeletal remains were subjected to a physical anthropological examination. In total, the crypt contains the remains of a minimum number of nine individuals, among them three adult males, five adult females and one infant. A detailed scientific examination, including prior conservation, ancient DNA analyses, and computed tomography (CT), was performed on five mummies. By means of the CT data age at death, sex, body height, pathologies, and anatomical variants were investigated. CT analysis further showed that the bodies were naturally mummified. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that the tested individuals are not maternally related. In addition, health, living conditions and circumstances of death of the entombed individuals could be highlighted. Being confronted with the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of each methodological approach, probable identification was achieved in two cases.

Highlights

During the early modern period, Europe’s social, economic and religious elite intended to reflect and legitimise their status in life during funeral
The identity of the entombed individuals is usually known through inscriptions on the coffin itself or through historical records providing information on the life history of the deceased
All coffins are made from oak and consist of a single outer coffin

Summary

Introduction

During the early modern period, Europe’s social, economic and religious elite intended to reflect and legitimise their status in life during funeral. This attitude had been intensified by the Reformation leading to a stronger emphasis on the individual and thereby on the individual death. Special burial places inside or underneath churches that were linked to dynastic families were reserved for stone sarcophagi and metal coffins [2]. Due to favourable environmental conditions, the inventory of such crypts can be preserved, including the coffins, the clothes, and the deceased. The identity of the entombed individuals is usually known through inscriptions on the coffin itself or through historical records providing information on the life history of the deceased. Crypt burials offer the unique opportunity for multidisciplinary research to study the physical remains of the elites and their perceptions of death and burial

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion