Ihlow II

From 1973 to 2008 the deserted wealthy Cistercian monastery at Ihlow in Eastern Frisia has been excavated. After BAN 16, this is the second and final volume dealing with the results, in this case the architectural history and finds of A.D. 1230-1744 [Thiemann] and the anthropology of 388 individuals buried in the monastery churchyard [Timmermann]. It turned out that the brick monastery was preceded by a wooden structure by some 40 years. Additionally, it was possible to locate the church and the western and eastern wings of the cloister, to distinguish six construction phases, and to trace demolition in 1529. Only the western wing was maintained for profane representative purposes. Items for future research will be the southern wing, purpose and dating of outbuildings, location of brick kilns, and surrounding infrastructure. The cemetery contained not only males, but also 37 % women and 4 % children with a high life expectancy of 39 years which was owed to a diet rich in meat and fish. Good teeth, few degenerative diseases, absence of malnutrition, rareness of infections, successful operations and trauma treatment attest to knowledge of hygiene and medicine and a good immune status.