A medieval underground tunnel has been discovered at a burial site in Germany.

Archaeologists during excavations near the village of Reinstedt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, before the construction of wind power facilities, discovered a rare medieval underground tunnel dug inside a much older Neolithic burial complex about 6 thousand years old. This was reported by Arkeonews magazine on February 2.

Research on the Dornberg hill has shown that the place had a ritual significance for more than 4 thousand years. A trapezoidal moat of the Baalberg culture dating back to the 4th century BC, poorly preserved Neolithic burials, as well as traces of a bronze burial mound were recorded here. Against this background, the discovery of a late Medieval underground structure carved directly into a Neolithic moat was particularly unusual.

The object turned out to be an Erdstal, an artificial system of narrow underground passages typical of the late Middle Ages and extremely rare in northern Germany. The purpose of such tunnels is still the subject of scientific debate: they are considered as shelters in case of danger or as structures with ritual or symbolic meaning.

Initially, the find was mistaken for an elongated burial, but further excavations revealed the characteristic features of the tunnel: layered filling, medieval ceramics, stones and preserved voids. The tunnel is about 1-1.25 m high and 50-70 cm wide and bends in a northwesterly direction.

The entrance part includes a carved step and a niche in the wall, and some areas are covered with a gabled "gable" roof. Inside, a horseshoe, fragments of late Medieval pottery, a fox skeleton, bones of small mammals and a thin layer of coal were found.

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The absence of traces of strong calcination of the soil indicates the short-term use of fire. The accumulation of large stones at the entrance suggests that the tunnel was deliberately filled in after its completion.

Archaeologists are particularly interested in the question of why medieval inhabitants chose an ancient Neolithic monument to create an underground passage. According to one version, the moat was still visible in the relief and served as a convenient landmark. On the other hand, a place associated with pagan burials could be avoided by the population, which made it an ideal and inconspicuous refuge.

The Reinstedt find has become a rare example of the "layered" history of the landscape, where prehistoric, ancient and medieval traces of human activity coexist in one space. Research continues and makes an important contribution to the study of medieval underground architecture and the long-term use of sacred territories in Central Europe.

On January 29, Arkeonews reported the discovery of an ancient Roman necropolis and a Gallo-Roman road in Anne-sur-Lens in northern France. In total, during the excavations, experts recorded 263 archaeological sites. It was clarified that most of the finds belonged to the XX century.

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