The Bergkamen warrior

A Scandinavian-influenced late 7th-century AD high-status burial in Westphalia?

Abstract

The 2011 discovery of an Early-medieval cemetery in Bergkamen, featuring notably the burial of a man with rich grave goods, highlights extensive cultural contacts during this period. The presence of multiple shields, unusual in Merovingian-period burials, but well-known from Vendel-period graves in Scandinavia, hints at dueling practices or high-status burial customs that apparently had come to be known to the man buried in Westphalia. The grave's rich inventory and the inclusion of items typically reserved for the upper social echelons suggest that the individual held a significant rank within his society, potentially as a leader or a warrior of high repute. This grave provides valuable insights into the funeral practices and social structures of Early-medieval Germany, particularly in the Westphalian region.