ARCHAEOLOGY
MEDIEVAL FIGURINES THAT HELD SAINTS’ BONES FOUND IN BERLIN
WORDS OWEN JARUS
Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of 188 figurines that were used as reliquaries, objects that held the bones of people who were considered to be saints or worthy of veneration. They were found during excavations of the Molkenmarkt, or ‘whey market’, the oldest square in Berlin. Each of the figures depicts a female and stands eight centimetres tall. Some, but not all, wear crowns. But the most intriguing features of these figurines are circular inlays, some of which still hold the remains of human bones. During the Middle Ages, it was a common practice for Christians to preserve and venerate the physical remains of saints and other individuals considered to be holy. But it’s unclear who the human bones within these figurines belonged to, and it’s also uncertain why so many were placed within this square.