The armrest of a Carolingian throne from Mainz. A revision of the interpretation of the disputed stone slab with tendril ornaments from the Stadionerhofstraße

Abstract

The fragment of a limestone slab with tendril reliefs discovered in 1911 in the Stadionerhofstraße of Mainz was hitherto considered the armrest of a throne. E. Tóth recently interpreted it as the remains of an oblong »Pannonian« table top
of the 2nd/3rd century characterised by a short end with a segment in the shape of a small half or three quarters circle and a roughly hewn back side. However, the Mainz slab does not only differ in the unusual size of the segment and the unique relief decoration on its inner edge, but also in a perfectly smooth edge which  served as stand/fl oor space. It therefore must rather be the armrest of a throne with a quadrant segment dating to the Carolingian period due to its shape and the spiral tendril reliefs on its upper edge (middle to second half of 8th century). As the part of a stone, and therefore immobile, royal throne resembling the emperor’s throne in Aachen, it is archaeological evidence for the existence of an imperial palace of Charlemagne in Mainz.