Otto I, born in 912 and died in 973, is one of the most influential rulers of the European Middle Ages. He is known as “the Great” and is regarded as the founder of the imperial system in Western and Central Europe, succeeding the ancient Roman Empire. In doing so, he laid the foundations for the later Holy Roman Empire. The recent archaeogenetic analyses show that the remains found in the sarcophagus at Magdeburg Cathedral can indeed be attributed to Otto I. 

Prof. Dr. Stefan Flohr, Professor of Human Biology at the University of Hildesheim, is part of the project. As a bioarchaeologist, he is examining the deceased’s state of health. “As a bioarchaeologist, you rarely know the identity of the person whose skeleton you are examining. The fact that this case involves such an important figure makes the work all the more interesting,” says Flohr. His focus is on reconstructing living conditions and disease processes. This involves individual injuries or age-related changes, as well as possible broader health-related connections. “The focus of my analyses is reconstructing the health status of Otto the Great. The current state of the investigations suggests that, in addition to stress-related changes in the skeleton, a systemic-pathological component could also be diagnosed,” says Flohr. This would point to a metabolic disorder - which was rather rare back then: “Today, metabolic disorders are very common; empty calories are available anytime and anywhere for little money, and it has become easy to overburden one’s metabolic regulatory system. In Emperor Otto’s time, one first had to be able to afford a lifestyle that disrupts the metabolism. This observation alone points to a high socioeconomic status of the interred individual. At the outset, it wasn’t even clear whether the skeleton was truly that of Otto I. It wouldn’t be the first time that a prominent grave was opened and another person was found inside.”

Why the tomb is being examined

In 2024, damage was discovered at the tomb that necessitated intervention. Investigations revealed that older iron fixtures from the 19th century, in particular, were contributing to the sarcophagus’s deterioration due to corrosion. Added to this were moisture, salt exposure, and significant climatic fluctuations inside the cathedral. To ensure the monument’s long-term preservation, comprehensive measures began in January 2025. First, the tomb was documented within a closed enclosure - through drawings, photographs, and a high-resolution 3D model. Subsequently, the cover slab, weighing approximately 300 kilograms, was lifted. It was revealed that it was made of ancient marble. Beneath the slab was a wooden coffin, which was also in a condition critical for conservation and therefore had to be removed.

Inside were human remains, textile fragments, plant materials, and sediments. Notable finds include fragments of a red shroud made of Byzantine or Spanish silk, as well as a blue-dyed blanket with silver threads. Eggshells, fruit pits, a 13th-century Moritzpfennig coin, and a piece of window glass were also discovered. These finds suggest that the grave was opened or altered several times over the centuries.

What the investigations reveal about the deceased

Flohr explains: “Anthropological examinations revealed that the remains belong to a male individual. There was no evidence that bones from other individuals were added or replaced during earlier openings of the grave. The skeleton is nearly complete and very well preserved. The age at death was estimated to be between 55 and 65 years, which aligns well with historical sources regarding Otto I.” Standing approximately 1.80 meters tall, the deceased was about 10 centimeters taller than the average male of his time. Pronounced muscle attachments on the thigh and pelvic bones align well with historical accounts indicating that Otto I regularly rode on horseback. Additionally, degenerative changes were observed in the knee and hip joints, ossification of cartilage tissue, as well as traces of a healed fracture on the left forearm. “The skull also provides important findings. There were traces of healed sharp-force trauma to the occipital region and blunt-force trauma to the facial area. Three upper incisors had already been lost during his lifetime, possibly in connection with the facial trauma. Additional findings include periodontitis, tartar buildup, and a carious tooth. All in all, the collected findings align well with what is known about the life of Emperor Otto I.” 

The decisive evidence: genetic kinship

The final proof of the remains’ identity comes from archaeogenetics. For this purpose, samples from the Magdeburg coffin were compared with bones from the Bamberg Cathedral’s relic collection attributed to Emperor Henry II. “Genetic analyses by colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig show that the Bamberg bones come from a single individual and that this individual was closely related to the man from the Magdeburg sarcophagus: there is a third-degree kinship through the paternal line. This exact relationship corresponds to the historical tradition, according to which Henry II was a great-nephew of Otto the Great,” explains Flohr. “Thus, historical, anthropological, and paleogenetic findings come together to form a coherent overall picture. The identity of the remains from Magdeburg Cathedral can therefore be considered established with near certainty: they are indeed those of Otto the Great. It was important to clarify this first before undertaking further extensive investigations.” 

With that, the investigations are now continuing - or rather, they are just really getting started: The goal is to reconstruct Emperor Otto’s life based on the skeleton. “There is often a prevailing notion that a skeleton can only provide information about the person at the time of their death,” explains Flohr. “In fact, however, a great deal of biographical information can be derived from the bones.” For this reason, in addition to further examinations, Flohr will also take a close look at Otto’s teeth. “Teeth, in particular, provide insight into a person’s childhood, and not much is currently known about Otto’s. There is still much to discover.”

Further Information

The work on Otto the Great’s tomb is being carried out in cooperation with the Saxony-Anhalt Cultural Foundation and the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology, as well as in coordination with the Evangelical Cathedral Parish and the Evangelical Church in Central Germany. The research group consists of representatives from a wide range of disciplines—including radiology and nuclear medicine, experimental orthopedics, biology and chemistry, forensic medicine, facial surgery, archaeometry, archaeogenetics, and medieval history.