Several ancient burials have been uncovered by archaeologists in an area where multinational tech company Intel plans to construct a pair of semiconductor factories.
Intel Site
The area is situated in the Eulenberg industrial area close to Magdeburg city in Germany. It houses a complex Neolithic, or New Stone Age, burial landscape. This was noted by the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt (LDA).
Archaeologists from the LDA have been looking into the area since 2023. Such efforts have been made ahead of Intel tech plant construction.
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Burial Mounds From 6,000 Years Ago
Among the researchers' discoveries are two monumental burial mounds that are believed to be from 6,000 years ago. The mounds have a distance of around 650 feet. They were made over wooden grave chambers, with each one having many burials.
The mounds have been linked to the Middle Neolithic's Baalberg culture, from around B.C. 4100 to B.C. 3600.
Excavation manager Xandra Dalidowski explains that wooden mortuary houses were present for the deceased. Earth piled up over it in order to form hills that can be seen from a distance.
On top of such findings, another interesting burial was unearthed by the researchers in the region between the two mounds. Researchers were able to identify the remains of two young cattle, which were around two to three years of age. These animals could have been sacrificed and buried beside each other.
Fronting the cattle remains was the grave of a man who was roughly 35 to 40 years old.
Such burials date back to the Globular Amphora Culture (GAC) era, which took place around B.C. 3300 to B.C. 2800. The corridor in the middle of the mound could have served as a procession route, where young cattle sacrifices and human burials have been performed.
The archaeologists say that the arrangement of the animal and human remains depicts a driver within a cart or with a plow that the cattle pull.
Archaeologist Susanne Friederich explains that a scene from ancient life was created in the area. Friederick also adds that these people offered the most precious object to the deities. This was cattle, which was considered the life guarantor.
According to the archaeologists, this grave is linked to the Globular Amphora culture. Such burials are also known from other areas across prehistoric Europe.
The specialists also discovered more burial mounds that were linked to the Corded Ware Culture, which was roughly from B.C. 2800 to B.C. 2050. These mounds date roughly 1,000 years later compared to the burial of the cattle.
The archaeologists note that the findings from different historical periods across the Neolithic suggest that the site boasted an astonishing consistency in its use for rituals. The findings show that the area remained crucial for ancient people for a prolonged period.
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