Officials say a nearly complete skeleton uncovered inside a simple wooden coffin within the official sarcophagus of 10th-century ruler Otto I in Magdeburg Cathedral is almost certainly the emperor.
Harald Meller, director of the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology, told reporters that the identification is made with a probability bordering on certainty. The remains were revealed during conservation work after severe damage to the limestone sarcophagus last June required opening the inner coffin for restoration.
Multiple lines of evidence support the attribution to Otto the Great:
– The skeleton belonged to a man who died at roughly 60 years of age, consistent with Otto’s recorded age at death.
– Isotopic and physical analyses indicate a well-nourished individual of elite status.
– Muscle attachments and bone wear are consistent with habitual riding in a saddle.
– Healed injuries suggest an active life that likely included combat.
– DNA testing shows a close genetic relationship to Heinrich II, the last Ottonian Holy Roman Emperor, who was a grandson of one of Otto’s brothers; Heinrich II’s remains are in Bamberg.
Archaeologists also cataloged grave goods and organic material inside the coffin: textiles including a red shroud likely of Byzantine or Spanish silk and a blue-dyed blanket with silver threads; fragments of eggshell, fruit pits, and a 13th-century Magdeburg coin known as a Moritzpfennig. The coffin shows signs it had been opened and altered several times over the centuries.
Forensic study found the man had lost three teeth from force trauma and suffered severe gum disease. Vascular changes near the base of the skull and throat might have played a role in his death. Conservators say the bones will remain in Magdeburg and later be placed in a restored coffin once work on the sarcophagus is complete; conservation continues in the cathedral.
Context: Otto I (born 912, died 973) inherited his father Henry the Fowler’s lands in 936, becoming ruler of East Francia and Duke of Saxony. He married Edith of England, half-sister of Anglo-Saxon king Aethelstan, and worked to unify German territories. His decisive victory over a Magyar invasion at the Battle of Lechfeld in 955 earned him the epithet the Great. After conquering the Kingdom of Italy in 961, Pope John XII crowned him Holy Roman Emperor in 962, a title he held until his death around age 62. Historians credit Otto and his father with laying the foundations of German influence in Europe from the 10th century onward. Magdeburg continues to honor his legacy with an annual King Otto the Great Prize for contributions to European unity and thought.
Saxony-Anhalt State Premier Sven Schulze praised the project, saying the application of modern scientific methods to these remains highlights the region’s research strengths. The findings and presentation were edited by Sean Sinico.