Volunteers renovating a 13th-century church in Gardelegen, Germany, uncovered over 1,000 artifacts spanning seven centuries, including coins, personal items, and a mysterious lead bronze monkey sculpture.
During construction at a 13th-century church in Gardelegen, Germany , volunteers discovered over 1,000 artifacts spanning seven centuries of history. Among the finds were 679 coins, pearls, various personal items like garment pins, and animal bones. A lead bronze monkey sculpture was also unearthed, and experts are divided on its purpose. The discovery took place during a renovation project to install underfloor heating in St.
Mary’s Church, also known as Marienkirche, a Gothic-style church built around 1250. A team of volunteers from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt carefully examined a 1,560-square-foot excavation site, which was just smaller than an average singles tennis court. The volunteers sifted through centuries of history, uncovering a treasure trove of artifacts.In addition to the coins, volunteers also found numerous other items, including pearls, animal bones, ceramics, iron nails, plant remains, and personal items like garment pins and even tweezers. One particularly intriguing find was a lead bronze monkey sculpture, a depiction common in medieval art. According to the LDA, monkeys were often depicted in medieval art engaging in activities like playing board games, making music, imitating people, or being caught in tendrils and snares. They were also considered demonic beings and, during the late Middle Ages, increasingly as a reflection and caricature of sinful, vicious people.What the monkey is holding has sparked debate among experts. The figurine is depicted with something cone-shaped up to its mouth, but its exact nature remains a mystery. Some believe it’s a drinking horn, while others argue it’s a wind instrument. Adding to the intrigue, volunteers also found three dice, which were unusual for a church setting. After the renovation (which took place from June 2022 to September 2023), St. Mary’s Church reopened to the public. Volunteers curated a “Lost and Found”-themed exhibit to showcase some of the remarkable discoveries. The LDA and the SESAM project (Systematic Recording of Saxony-Anhalt Coins) also digitized and entered many of the 679 coins found at the site into a database. The project is part of a larger effort to record the region’s rich history. The SESAM project aims to thoroughly digitize coin collections from ancient times to the end of the 19th century, a challenging task given the seven different coin systems that existed in Germany before the German Empire’s formation in 1871 and the introduction of the “Mark” as the common currency in 1873. Despite the sheer volume of coins to be cataloged, the SESAM project continues its work because, according to its website, “THE RECORDING OF EVERY SINGLE PIECE COUNTS.
Archaeology Artifacts History Germany Church Coins Monkey Sculpture Renovation Saxony-Anhalt
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