German scientists have reconstructed an1
extraordinarily detailed picture of the domestic life of
Martin Luther, the 16th-century reformer and father
of Protestantism, by trawling through his household4
waste uncovered during archaeological digs on sites
where he used to live.
Despite the widespread belief that Luther7
lived in poverty, evidence suggests he was a well-fed
man — weighing in at a hefty 150 kg when he died in
1546 at the age of 63.10
Even Luther's claim that he came from
humble circumstances has been dismissed. New
evidence has shown that his father owned land and a13
copper mill besides lending money for interest. His
mother meanwhile was born into an upper middle-
class family and it is unlikely, as Luther suggested,16
that she "carried all her wood on her back".
Extensive research carried out at the family
home in Wittenberg showed that Luther wrote his19
celebrated texts with goose quills under lamps lit by
animal fat, in a heated room which overlooked the
River Elbe. It obviously suited him because he22
churned out 1,800 pages a year. It debunks
something of the Luther myth to know he wrote the
95 theses on a stone toilet, which was dug up in25
2004.
But the claim by historians which will
arguably be most upsetting for followers is the28
recently uncovered written evidence that it was not,
as thought, a lightning bolt which led to the then 21-
year-old's spontaneous declaration he wanted to31
become a monk. Rather, it was his desperation to
escape an impending arranged marriage.
Kate Connolly. History digs up the dirt on Martin Luther, In: The
Guardian, Monday, 27 Oct./2008. Internet: <www.guardian.co.uk> (adapted).