\ud83c\udf18Subscribe to 404 Media to get The Abstract, our newsletter about the most exciting and mind-boggling science news and studies of the week. Archeologists in Germany have unearthed a mysterious underground tunnel built centuries ago within a prehistoric burial ground, marking a \u201cvery special\u201d discovery according to a recent release from the State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology (LDA) of Saxony-Anhalt.The buried tunnel measures about two-feet wide and four-feet high, and was likely constructed anywhere between 800 to 1,100 years ago near the town of Reinstedt. Archeologists found pottery that dates to about the 13th or 14th century in the chamber, and also discovered a separate cavity that contained a horseshoe, a fox skeleton, and some small mammal bones. A layer of charcoal in the tunnel suggests that fires were once lit in this space.\u00a0The tunnel is just one of hundreds of similar structures, known as erdstalls, that have been\u00a0 discovered across Europe. Fascinatingly, nobody knows what function they served, with the debated possibilities including use as hideaways or sites for cultic activity. Erdstalls are \u201cman-made underground tunnel systems, sometimes with chamber-like extensions,\u201d said Jochen Fahr, an archaeologist at LDA who organized the excavation in an email to 404 Media. \u201cAround a dozen such findings are known from the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, which means that the density of these structures is lower in our region than it is in others. Their function has not yet been clarified and may also vary from case to case.\u201d\u00a0\u201cPossible interpretations include hiding places in case of danger or storage cellars,\u201d Fahr continued. \u201cA cultic-religious function could also be possible, as a kind of Christian chapel. The interpretation of these structures is made more difficult by the fact that the examples known to us contain little or no archaeological finds, which makes it very difficult to draw any firm conclusions on their function.\u201dThe horse shoe and pottery found in the erdstall. Image: \u00a9 State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt, Ulf Petzschmann.Researchers initially set out to survey this site last year before the construction of wind turbines in the area. The site was already known as the location of a trapezoidal ditch that was used as a burial ground by the Baalberge people, who lived in Saxony-Anhalt during the Neolithic period of prehistory 6,000 years ago.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIn the course of the site\u2018s further investigation and documentation, the erdstall was discovered,\u201d Fahr explained. \u201cIt had been dug into the southern part of the trapezoidal ditch thousands of years after the ditch\u2018s construction. Initially, the erdstall appeared as a well-defined elongated oval pit, about two meters long and up to 75 centimeters wide, which cut the older ditch almost at right angles.\u201d\u00a0\u201cThis led to the assumption that it could be a burial\u2014but the fact that the finding then turned out to be something completely different, that it was in fact an erdstall, was an unexpected surprise that caused fascination and excitement among the team,\u201d he added.A section of the underground passage with a pointed gable and a small niche in the wall. The passage is approximately one meter high and 50 to 70 centimeters wide. Image \u00a9 State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt, Ulf Petzschmann.The team speculated that the people who dug out this passageway may have deliberately selected the ancient burial ground as a secret hideaway. The area may have been \u201cgenerally avoided by the population due to its special nature\u2014perhaps a pagan burial site\u2014and was therefore particularly suitable as a hiding place,\u201d according to the press release.Hundreds of erdstalls have been found across Europe, and they are often associated with local folklore passed down across generations. Because the tunnels are normally extremely narrow, some legends cast erdstalls as home to dwarfs, goblins, and other diminutive mythical creatures, which is why they are known as Schratzlloch (goblin holes) or Zwergloch (dwarf holes) in some regions.\u00a0\u00a0Some of the most famous examples include the Beate Greithanner erdstall, a passage that was discovered in 2011 after a dairy cow fell into it. The Ratg\u00f6bluckn erdstall in Austria is one of the rare passages that is big enough to safely accommodate tourists.\u00a0\u00a0The Ratg\u00f6bluckn erdstall. Image: PfeifferfranzThe new erdstall found at Reinstedt deepens the mystery of these structures, which have intrigued archeologists for decades and still remain largely unexplained.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe excavation has been completed, the team is currently in the process of evaluating the findings and finds,\u201d Fahr said. \u201cIn this context, my colleagues are also in the process of delving deeper into the topic of the erdstall, based on the latest literature on the subject, for example. A scholarly publication is planned.\u201d\u00a0\u201cIt is also hoped that further findings in the future will help us to better understand the phenomenon of erdstalls and, in particular, to further clarify their function,\u201d he concluded.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"