An archaeological excavation in Paderborn, Germany, revealed an unexpected early medieval settlement below a previously known Bronze Age burial ground. Researchers from the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe were initially searching for Bronze Age urn graves but instead found features like pits, shafts, and potential water management systems. These findings suggest the area was part of a medieval agricultural zone, marked by structures indicating early irrigation practices. This discovery challenges previous understandings of the site’s history and underscores the importance of archaeology in uncovering hidden pasts.
"As early as the end of the 1930s, building inspector Bernhard Ortmann had conducted investigations in the area south of Winkelland and reported a Bronze Age urn burial ground. Unfortunately, hardly any finds from this context have survived, and the documentation of the findings was not yet sufficiently extensive to meet today's standards."
"The large, round discoloration in the soft, sandy soil, initially interpreted as the remains of a burial mound, was interpreted as a water extraction site during removal. Several such sites are distributed across the entire area and have shaft-like shapes, the walls of which were often reinforced with wood."
"The shafts and ditches could represent the remains of a water pipe or irrigation system, pointing to extensive land use for farming both in the medieval period and likely earlier."
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