Archaeologists Discover 500-Year-Old Graves Beneath Monastery Ruins in Germany

Archaeologists have discovered a collection of 500-year-old graves buried underneath the ruins of a 12th-century Benedictine monastery in Germany .

Knewz.com has learned that recent excavations have unearthed "densely packed" burials of at least 15 people under the monastery ruins.

Although archaeologists have been carrying out annual excavation projects at the monastery since 2017, they had never noticed the collection of ancient graves underneath—until now.

Recent excavations focused on the monastery’s mid-12th century cloister, a section used as living quarters by the monks, revealed the cluster of "densely packed" graves dating back somewhere between 500 to 800 years ago.

Archaeologists found the remains of at least 15 people in the 10-foot by 25-foot area, with remains layered atop each other.

A press release from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt states that the "cloister was a popular burial place" at the time and therefore, "not surprising that burials of at least 15 people from the period between the 12th and 15th centuries" were discovered here.

"The burials are in up to three layers on top of each other. If a new burial site was needed, existing skeletal remains were taken from the ground, moved to another location or placed in the new grave pit," the press release added.

The latest excavation project at the monastery in Posa, Eastern Germany, also revealed evidence of a significant Ottonian castle dating back to the 9th or 10th Century and a 10th-century church.

Archaeologists also found the foundation walls of a residential tower, which suggests that "the original bishop’s castle of the 10th century was likely located on Posa Hill, as no similar traces have been found in the nearby city of Zeitz," per a translation of the press release by Medievalists.net .

"Two foundations from the Ottonian castle complex, likely a bishop’s seat, were found connecting the residential tower to a 10th-century church . Such buildings allowed bishops to move between their residences and churches without exposure to the elements," the news outlet added, citing the press release from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt.

"Like the cloister, such passages were very popular burial places, since crossing the graves enabled a constant memory of the dead. In Posa, these tombs of the 10th and early 11th. Century elaborately built as brick chambers," the press release read.

Archaeologists are currently investigating one "unusually high brick chamber in the southern section of the cloister area" where a new burial was carried out in the 15th Century.

The recent excavation also revealed a water pipe from Hainichen to the monastery underneath the chapter house floor, which was mentioned in a document from 1186, per the press release.

"The line ran under the floor of the chapter room and ended up in the monastery kitchen. A branch led to the recently archaeologically proven fountain house on the southern cloister," the statement from the State Office mentioned.

The State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt stated that the current examination area will be refilled in the next weeks "after all documentation measures have been completed."

"The excavation is then to be continued in the southern area of the retreat in order to further investigate the Ottonian residential tower," the press release noted.

"This will take place as part of a training excavation in which students from the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg are to be practically trained."