FRÖNDENBERG, GERMANY—According to a statement released by the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association (LWL), graves containing cremated remains and ceramics were uncovered in northwestern Germany during an archaeological investigation conducted ahead of a clay mining operation. Most of the graves, which are estimated to be 2,000 years old, have been damaged by plowing, but larger pieces of pottery from several of the burials were preserved. One oval-shaped pit contained burned bone, a decorated spindle whorl, loom weights, and large pieces of ceramics decorated with finger impressions. “We know of such ceramics, for example, from well-dated settlements in Lower Hesse from the third to second centuries B.C.,” said LWL archaeologist Manuel Zeiler. Another pit contained a flint point from Neolithic Bell Beaker culture, meaning it was already 2,000 years old when the cemetery was in use. It is not clear if the point was placed in the pit on purpose or if it fell in when the pit was dug or filled. Charcoal, burned debris, and bits of pottery were also recovered from several smaller pits. To read about a 9,000-year-old grave of a woman buried with hundreds of ritual objects, go to “The Shaman’s Secrets.”

Source: archaeology.org