The Niederdollendorf stone is a Frankish gravestone, named for Niederdollendorf, where it was found in 1901.[1]
It is a notable both as exemplary Frankish sculpture and as an early example of Germanic Christian material culture. One side is conjectured to be a depiction of Christ. A spear-wielding man is shown standing on (what may be) a serpent, with rays extending from his head and a circle on his chest.[1]
The other side depicts a man with a scramasax, surrounded by three serpent heads. It is conjectured to represent a dead warrior in his tomb.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c James, Edward (2018). "Niederdollendorf stone". Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
Further reading
edit- Böhner, K. "Der fränkische Grabstein von Niederdollendorf am Rhein", Germania 28 (1944–50), 63–75.
- Brast, W. "Der Bildstein von Niederdollendorf" Festschrift zum Hundertjährigen Bestehen der Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte 1869-1969. Zweiter Teil: Fachwissenschaftliche Beiträge (1970).