In southern Germany, an extraordinary archaeological find has brought the early Middle Ages back to life. A team of researchers conducted a deep freeze analysis of a 1,350-year-old grave of a toddler and found stunning details about his life, death, and social status.
Nicknamed the “Ice Prince of Mattsies,” the toddler was discovered in 2021 in a lavish burial chamber during routine excavations near the town of Mattsies in Bavaria. Unlike conventional digs, researchers froze the entire tomb to remove it from the ground intact. This technique helped preserve the fragile remains and the artifacts surrounding the Ice Prince.
“Experts deep-froze the contents of the burial chamber. This allowed the child’s grave to be removed from the ground in one piece. Eventually, he became known as the “Ice Prince of Mattsies” thanks to the spectacular method used to recover his grave,” the researchers note.
The tragic story of the Ice Prince
The grave belonged to a boy who died around 670–680 AD, estimated to be about 18 months old. His short life ended due to a chronic infection that was likely a complication of a common middle ear infection. Even though the cause of death was ordinary for the time, the effort that went into his burial was incredible.
Archaeologists from the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (BLfD) were stunned by the condition and richness of the grave. To study the grave in detail, they decided to use an experimental preservation method that involved freezing the entire burial chamber using liquid nitrogen — a process that reaches temperatures of -196°C.
This ultra-cold treatment prevented the formation of ice crystals that could have damaged delicate remains and materials. The entire grave, sealed tightly for over a millennium by a stone chamber, was then transported in one piece to a restoration lab near Bamberg for a detailed examination.
The analysis revealed a story woven from bones, fabrics, and objects. DNA tests showed the child had blue eyes and light hair, and isotope analysis of his teeth confirmed he was born and raised locally. His dental development showed that he was still being breastfed at the time of death. However, despite this immune support, he couldn’t survive the infection.
However, it was the burial itself that offered the richest clues about his life and society. The boy was laid on a fur blanket, wearing leather shoes, pants, and a fine linen tunic adorned with silk, a luxury material likely sourced through trade with the Byzantine Empire. Plus, he wore silver bracelets, silver spurs on his shoes, and a decorated belt carrying a small sword with golden accessories and fittings.
The researchers also found a gold cross wrapped in a cloth near his body. Moreover, offerings placed at his feet included a bronze basin for washing, a wooden bowl, a silver-fitted cup, fruits like apples and pears, and even a dismembered piglet, possibly a cooked dish. All these items indicate that Ice Prince belonged to a family of high status.
However, if you’re still not convinced, here is the most telling of all: the building in which he was buried was not some regular burial site but originally a Roman villa, which had been repurposed as a family tomb. Its roof was rebuilt twice after the child’s burial, suggesting the site served as a long-standing memorial space.
“The boy’s death must have shaken his regionally significant family. They clearly made great efforts to give the child a burial fitting of his social status. In a former Roman villa, a building was specially designated as a burial and memorial space. Skilled stonemasons constructed a stone burial chamber inside it, sealed with lime mortar — a remarkable feat at a time when stone buildings were rare,” the General Conservator from BLfD said.
Deep freezing can revolutionize archaeology
This study reveals much more than the Ice Prince’s story. It sheds light on a new way for archaeologists to reconstruct the past. By freezing and lifting an entire grave, the researchers were able to study the preserved fragile materials like fabric, wood, and food remains that would otherwise be lost.
“The State Office broke new ground in 2021 with the deep-freezing of the child’s grave. The investigation results now vividly demonstrate how much information can be extracted from such an exceptional burial find through proper recovery methods and detailed analysis,” said Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Mathias Pfeil, General Conservator of the BLfD.
However, this new method, which is developed by the BLfD team, also comes with challenges. It requires careful planning, expensive equipment, and ideal conditions, so not every site can be preserved this way. Still, it has set a new standard for preserving delicate archaeological finds and may influence how other important graves are handled in the future.
You can read more about the Ice Prince here.
