Shallow hole turns out to be rare 1,600-year-old structure in Germany. See it
Sifting through damp soil in northwestern Germany, archaeologists found hundreds of artifacts, dozens of traces of long-gone buildings and a few rare structures. The remnants were often mundane but sometimes extraordinary.
Altogether, the finds offered a glimpse into life about 1,600 years ago.
A team of archaeologists began excavating a site near Bentfeld in November 2024 ahead of residential construction, the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe said in a June 13 news release. Previous work in the area had exposed some remains of an ancient settlement so archaeologists knew they’d find at least something.
But as they began digging, the team quickly realized the site had a longer and more varied history than initially suspected. In total, archaeologists identified the ruins of two houses, two wells, a cremation burial and about 750 artifacts, officials said.
The most sensational finds emerged near the end of the project, archaeologists said.
Sven Knippschild, the excavation leader, said they initially thought a shallow indentation was a livestock watering hole.
Instead, the hole turned out to be a 1,600-year-old wooden well, officials said. Excavations uncovered a section of wooden pipe built from three tree trunks and measuring over 3 feet across as well as some other beams and wicker used to construct the well.
Photos show the ancient wooden artifacts. One of the beams from the well still had processing marks on it and several character-like carvings, archaeologists said.
Wooden artifacts or structures are generally rare finds for archaeologists because the material decays quickly unless preserved in a low-oxygen environment, such as in mud or water.
At the Bentfeld site, the natural preservation quality was so good that the team also found a section of leather and an ancient insect wing, Knippschild said in the release.
On top of the 1,600-year-old well, the team unearthed a layer of charcoal with small burnt bones and a few glass beads, possibly traces of a since-removed burial. They also found a separate cremation burial with a Roman military belt, bone comb, garment clasps and spearhead.
Archaeologists finished excavations at the site near Bentfeld and plan to continue analyzing their finds.
Bentfeld is a village in northwestern Germany and a roughly 270-mile drive southwest from Berlin.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL).
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Shallow hole turns out to be rare 1,600-year-old structure in Germany. See it."
