OPPIN, GERMANY—Newsweek reports that the remains of a man estimated to have been between 40 and 60 years old at the time of his death have been unearthed in central Germany. Preliminary investigation suggests the burial is associated with the Bell Beaker culture and dates to some 4,500 years ago. Archaeologist Susanne Friederich of the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt said that the man was buried in a crouched position with a large stone placed over his legs. The weight of the stone may have been intended to keep this individual from rising from the dead as a spirit or animated corpse known in some ancient folklore as a revenant, she explained. “Back then, people believed that dead people sometimes tried to free themselves from their graves,” she said, perhaps to terrorize the living. The grave may be the first revenant grave associated with the Bell Beaker culture to be found in the area. For more on the Bell Beaker culture, go to "Letter from Woodhenge: Stonehenge's Continental Cousin."
