Archaeologists have discovered a medieval tunnel system beneath the German village of Dornberg, which they believe was used for secret cult rituals. The find came during excavations of a Stone Age burial site, where a trapezoidal trench dating to the fourth millennium BC was first uncovered, along with late Neolithic remains from the third millennium BC.
Further digging revealed a stone slab and a long, oval pit measuring around 6.5ft by 2.5ft, intersecting the burial ditch at a right angle. Initially thought to be another grave, the pit turned out to be part of a tunnel network. Similar shafts with chamber-like extensions have been found elsewhere in Germany in regions with firm but workable soil, typically dating to the Middle Ages.
Researchers suspect the tunnels served as hiding places or spaces for cultic activity. Inside the tunnel, they found a metal horseshoe, pottery fragments, a charcoal layer, and a fox skeleton in one of the curving passages. The charcoal layer suggests a brief fire, as no red colouration of the substrate was present, only hardening.
The tunnel's entrance appeared to have been deliberately sealed with a cluster of large stones, likely to conceal the secret activities within. Archaeologists noted that the site, being a pagan grave, may have been avoided by locals, making it an ideal hiding place for clandestine practices.
