Archaeologists have discovered an approximately 4,000-year-old ritual site in Tiel, the Netherlands. The sanctuary consisted of several round burial mounds and would be dedicated to the sun, according to the municipality. For 800 years the place was used for sacrifices, rituals and celebrations. People would also have buried their dead there.
The excavations had already taken place in 2017 in the city in the southeast of the country. But the importance of the site had only now become clear. The city said that the archaeologists only made the discovery after years of research, including into soil discoloration. “Everything was buried deep underground.” The complex, about four football fields in circumference, is described as a unique find.
Glass bead found from Mesopotamia
The archaeologists had excavated a total of about a million objects. This includes a glass bead about a thousand years old from what was then Mesopotamia in Western Asia (where Iraq and Syria are now). The oldest objects are estimated to date from 2500 BC.
Surprisingly many children buried
According to the researchers, there were three burial mounds on the complex. The remains of more than 80 people were found there, including a striking number of children.
The largest hill, with a diameter of 20 meters and surrounded by a ditch, also served as a solar calendar. On the shortest and longest day of the year, the sun’s rays could shine directly onto the hill through special notches in the ditch.
Objects belong in a museum
Some objects can be seen from Friday in the museum in Tiel. Remains of a tomb from the ritual place can be seen in the Archaeological Museum in Leiden. There is nothing to see on the site itself.
Source: Krone
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