Archaeologists told a news outlet in late March that they’d uncovered an ancient “zombie” grave in Germany.
The “revenant grave” is believed to be 4,200 years old, from the Neolithic period, and is located near the village of Oppin, Germany, according to a translation from the German news outlet MDR. “It is an adult man, around 40 to 60 years old. He is lying on his left side with his legs bent and looking to the east,” the site’s excavation leader Uwe Moos told the outlet. “Across his lower legs lies a large stone, about one meter long, 50 centimeters wide and ten centimeters high.”
The archaeologist argued the individual victim in the grave was probably suffering from some type of illness. The rock was placed in a specific position to “prevent them from coming back.” Moos believes the grave comes from Bell Beaker culture, making it potentially the first of its kind to be discovered in central Germany.
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“We know that even in the Stone Age people were afraid of unpleasant revenants. People wanted to prevent that with magic,” project manager Susanne Friederich noted. “There are graves where the corpse even lies on its stomach. Back then, people believed that dead people sometimes tried to free themselves from their graves. If it lies on its stomach, it burrows deeper and deeper instead of rising to the surface.” (RELATED: Rare ‘Zombie’ Disease Kills Deer In Yellowstone National Park)
A “revenant” is another term used for “zombie,” which were feared by many cultures, including the ancient Celts, Nordic peoples and the ancient Greeks, according to Ancient Origins.
‘Zombie’ grave — dating back 4,200 years — discovered in Germany, photos show #NewsBreak https://t.co/GaQ26SRsWX
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Romans also believed in zombies, often weighing down corpses in their graves to stop the dead from rising and eating the living, the outlet noted.
Investigations into the site will continue through at least 2025. It could be that more “zombie” graves are uncovered, shedding light on a common concern in Europe that remains part of lore and pop culture today.