August 2000 - Nr. 8
Scientists reconfirm Aachen's Claim to Throne of Charlemagne
Today, 1,200 years after Charlemagne’s imperial coronation, experts say that assessment was wrong. The oak that was used to build the inner structure of the throne was "definitely felled during Charlemagne’s lifetime and probably shortly before the coronation year 800," says Georg Minkenberg, director of the Aachen cathedral treasury. "We never thought we would discover something like this - it’s sensational." Researchers working under architectural historian Sven Schuette reestimated the throne’s age using more accurate historical dating techniques than were available during the earlier study.
Whether or not the emperor really sat on the throne remains unclear, notes Minkenberg. It may have had a purely symbolic function. The worn marble slabs that form the seat - originally cut from the Aegean island Paros - were a relic from Roman antiquity. They may have served to underscore Charlemagne’s role as the Caesars’ successor. The shape of the throne, meanwhile, suggests an allusion to the Old Testament leader King Solomon. "We believe all the pieces have a reliquary aspect," says Minkenberg. The wooden base of the throne will be on display from June 11 to October 3 this year as part of a major exhibition on the 600-year history of imperial coronations in Aachen.
