Dying on the Rhine

There are isolated small settlements and farmsteads outside the Mainz city walls, for example in the present-day district of Hechtsheim. They can often only be discovered with the help of the associated burial grounds and the graves richly furnished with grave goods. They allow conclusions to be drawn about the burial customs, social status and origin of the deceased.

The woman from Hechtsheim was a wealthy lady during her lifetime. This is indicated by the rich burial objects such as the silver spoon with the cross and IOHANNIS inscription. The artificially deformed skull of the woman from Münchfeld, which is unusual among Franconians, indicates her foreign origin. Perhaps she was Thuringian.

The burial ground near St. Alban south of the city, which was already documented in Roman times, continued to be used in Frankish times. A large funerary and memorial building testifies to early Christian use.