About 6,800 years ago, a high-status individual, dubbed "The Mayor," was buried with an amazing collection of riches and provisions near the Bavarian town of Eichendorf, southern Germany. Last week, archaeologists unearthed the grave close to Munich and the southeastern borders with Austria and the Czech Republic.

<h2>Graves and goodies</h2>

The discovery, made last week by district archaeologists excavating in the village of Exing, revealed the Middle Neolithic remains buried with significant grave goods. These included food and drink for the afterlife, body painting dyes, a stone axe, a stone adze, and a halved boar's tooth.&nbsp;

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These items, as per Live Science, suggest that the individual held a prominent position, potentially as an elder or chieftain. Thanks to this, archaeologists have dubbed him "The Mayor".

As of now, they do not know whether 'The Mayor' was a man or a woman, or how old they were at the time of their death.

The individual was buried in a squatting position, surrounded by several vessels, whose original contents remain unknown.&nbsp;

A personal drinking vessel and stone blades were also placed in the grave.

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The skeleton of "The Mayor" will now be examined by an anthropologist and photographed to create a precise 3D model using photogrammetry, a technique that stitches multiple digital images together to form a virtual model.

<h2>A rare find</h2>

Florian Eibl, a district archaeologist, in conversation with German outlet Der Spiegel said that finding human remains from this period in this location is rare. Only a few Neolithic skeletons have survived, he noted.&nbsp;

The grave's contents, as per Eibl, imply that the individual was older and of special status and had likely earned their wealth and position over their lifetime.

He further speculated that the boar's tooth, split in two, likely served as a container for a flint blade and fire-making tools, symbolising the dangerous prestige of boar hunting at the time.&nbsp;

Archaeologists have been working on excavations at Exing since 2023, ahead of residential development. The site has yielded spectacular finds spanning 7,000 years, from the Neolithic to the Copper and Bronze Ages, including gold jewelry. The area's rich settlements, like Köthingeichendorf, Eibl said were significant centers of importance throughout Europe during the Neolithic period. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

About 6,800 years ago, a high-status individual, dubbed "The Mayor," was buried with an amazing collection of riches and provisions near the Bavarian town of Eichendorf, southern Germany.

About 6,800 years ago, a high-status individual, dubbed "The Mayor," was buried with an amazing collection of riches and provisions near the Bavarian town of Eichendorf, southern Germany. Last week, archaeologists unearthed the grave close to Munich and the southeastern borders with Austria and the Czech Republic. Graves and goodies The discovery, made last week by district archaeologists excavating in the village of Exing, revealed the Middle Neolithic remains buried with significant grave goods. These included food and drink for the afterlife, body painting dyes, a stone axe, a stone adze, and a halved boar's tooth. Also read | Ancient justice: Chinese skeletons reveal limb amputation as punishment over 2,000 years ago These items, as per Live Science, suggest that the individual held a prominent position, potentially as an elder or chieftain. Thanks to this, archaeologists have dubbed him "The Mayor". As of now, they do not know whether 'The Mayor' was a man or a woman, or how old they were at the time of their death. The individual was buried in a squatting position, surrounded by several vessels, whose original contents remain unknown. A personal drinking vessel and stone blades were also placed in the grave. Also read | Man spends 93 days under Atlantic Sea, becomes ‘10 years younger’ The skeleton of "The Mayor" will now be examined by an anthropologist and photographed to create a precise 3D model using photogrammetry, a technique that stitches multiple digital images together to form a virtual model. A rare find Florian Eibl, a district archaeologist, in conversation with German outlet Der Spiegel said that finding human remains from this period in this location is rare. Only a few Neolithic skeletons have survived, he noted. The grave's contents, as per Eibl, imply that the individual was older and of special status and had likely earned their wealth and position over their lifetime. He further speculated that the boar's tooth, split in two, likely served as a container for a flint blade and fire-making tools, symbolising the dangerous prestige of boar hunting at the time. Archaeologists have been working on excavations at Exing since 2023, ahead of residential development. The site has yielded spectacular finds spanning 7,000 years, from the Neolithic to the Copper and Bronze Ages, including gold jewelry. The area's rich settlements, like Köthingeichendorf, Eibl said were significant centers of importance throughout Europe during the Neolithic period. (With inputs from agencies)

‘The Mayor’ buried 6,800 years ago with drinks and food for afterlife discovered in Bavaria

Traces of hundreds of monuments, which were previously unknown, have been identified in an archaeological survey. Amongst these monuments, five of them have been found to be "incredibly rare" prehistoric structures which once may have the hidden "routes for the dead" into the afterlife.

Traces of hundreds of monuments, which were previously unknown, have been identified in an archaeological survey. Amongst these monuments, five of them have been found to be "incredibly rare" prehistoric structures which once may have the hidden "routes for the dead" into the afterlife. The survey was conducted by the University of Aberdeen Department of Archaeology's James O'Driscoll, with the use of LiDAR technology. O'Driscoll carried out the survey in the Baltinglass landscape of County Wicklow, Ireland which is dotted with prehistoric remains and the results were published in the journal Antiquity. LiDAR is a type of remote-sensing method in which laser pulses are fired towards the ground to generate 3D models of a specific landscape. Also Read: Archaeologists discover long-lost 5,000-year-old copper age cemetery in Italy The method is useful in mapping the topography of the land and also revealing any hidden man-made features which is generally not visible to the naked eyes. Speaking to Newsweek, the researcher said, "I have been working on the Baltinglass landscape for over a decade. It formed the core component of my PhD." "While my PhD focused on targeted geophysical and remote sensing surveys and excavations, what was sorely missing was a large-scale topographical model of the landscape, which would not only help to knit together all of the research that had previously been undertaken, but also help to discover new archaeological sites that were either hidden under trees and scrub overgrowth, or had been mostly levelled by thousands of years of ploughing," he added. Discovery of five 'cursus' monuments The survey's "most significant" findings were a group of five unknown "cursus" monuments. Cursuses are a type of monumental Neolithic structures which are similar to ditches or trenches and are found in the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. These prehistoric monuments generally have long and relatively narrow earthwork enclosures. "The discovery of the cursus monuments is particularly significant, as these are incredibly rare in Ireland," said O'Driscoll. "There are less than 20 recorded cursus monuments in Ireland, and they typically occur in isolation or pairs. This makes the identification of five examples in Baltinglass the largest cluster of these sites in the country—but also, the detailed topographical model of the sites and their surrounding landscape provided an opportunity to 'digitally' investigate these monuments in detail," he added. Watch: Mount Etna puffs out 'smoke rings' | Alaska to break snow record The archaeologist, using his new data, was able to observe that at least four of the five newly identified cursus monuments were built in alignment with important solar events. He added that these solar events are related to farming cycles, along with death and rebirth which emphasised the purpose of these mysterious monuments. O'Driscoll hinted that the monuments may have symbolised the walking of the dead towards the heavens. "The function of these types of monuments has always been a thorny topic, as we simply don't have enough information. But given that some of the Baltinglass sites can also be linked with burial monuments, this suggested to me that they may have been ceremonial monuments used in burial practices, where the cursus marked the physical route in which the dead moved from the living into the afterlife," said O'Driscoll. (With inputs from agencies)

THESE five monuments in Ireland may have 'routes for dead' into afterlife, archaeologists suggest

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered a canal system under a temple in the Mayan ruins of Palenque that experts believe could be a symbolic gateway to the underworld for the ancient civilisation. 
 
The hydraulic system was uncovered using sonar technology at the Temple of the Inscriptions, which houses the seventh-century tomb of the Mayan ruler Pakal. The significance of the ancient ruler and the temple have lead many to conclude that the canal is of particular significance to the Mayan afterlife. 
 
An inscription in Pakal&#39;s tomb also gives weight to the theory as it states that to be accepted into the Mayan underworld the dead must be submerged in water. 
 
Images released by Mexico&#39;s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) provides the first glimpses into the ancient canal network which has different levels and still has running water. 
 
&quot;There are 17 linear metres, which is as far as we could get although we can see in the images that at the furthest point they [the channels] still continue. These 17 metres (55 linear feet), if one puts it on a map to scale, we are almost at the threshold of the northern wall of the burial chamber. The case here is interesting, important for being under the Temple of the Inscriptions and for being the most important building of the site,&quot; said INAH archaeologist, Arnoldo Gonzaldez. 
 
There are still many unanswered questions regarding the canal system such as its length and where it begins but archaeologists have determined the hydraulic system was built before the construction of the Temple of the Inscriptions. 
 
&quot;With this discovery, the perspective changes a little of how it was done or how the temple was built. The initial approach - well, this construction was ripped out with the construction of the burial chamber and from there, all the bodies, the nine bodies that make up the temple were put with the building in the upper part. Now with this new information, we can clearly think of it in a different way,&quot; added Gonzaldez. 
 
The Mayan ruins at Palenque is one of Mexico&#39;s most mysterious with new discoveries made regularly. Last year, investigators finally decoded the hieroglyphic name of the Mayan King Pakal at the temple decades after the modern-day discovery of the site. 
 
The Maya civilisation, which developed hieroglyphic writing, a calendar and astronomical system, reached its peak of influence between AD 250 and 900, extending its reach over what is now Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. 
 
Palenque was its most important city of the low western lands during the late Classic period, reaching its peak between 600 and 800 AD. 
 
Along with Tikal and Calakmul, it was one of the most powerful Classic Mayan cities, as well as the seat of the distinguished Pakal dynasty. 
 
(Reuters)

An inscription in 7th century ruler Pakal's tomb indicates that Mayans will be accepted into the underworld if they are submerged in water

Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered a canal system under a temple in the Mayan ruins of Palenque that experts believe could be a symbolic gateway to the underworld for the ancient civilisation. The hydraulic system was uncovered using sonar technology at the Temple of the Inscriptions, which houses the seventh-century tomb of the Mayan ruler Pakal. The significance of the ancient ruler and the temple have lead many to conclude that the canal is of particular significance to the Mayan afterlife. An inscription in Pakal's tomb also gives weight to the theory as it states that to be accepted into the Mayan underworld the dead must be submerged in water. Images released by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) provides the first glimpses into the ancient canal network which has different levels and still has running water. "There are 17 linear metres, which is as far as we could get although we can see in the images that at the furthest point they [the channels] still continue. These 17 metres (55 linear feet), if one puts it on a map to scale, we are almost at the threshold of the northern wall of the burial chamber. The case here is interesting, important for being under the Temple of the Inscriptions and for being the most important building of the site," said INAH archaeologist, Arnoldo Gonzaldez. There are still many unanswered questions regarding the canal system such as its length and where it begins but archaeologists have determined the hydraulic system was built before the construction of the Temple of the Inscriptions. "With this discovery, the perspective changes a little of how it was done or how the temple was built. The initial approach - well, this construction was ripped out with the construction of the burial chamber and from there, all the bodies, the nine bodies that make up the temple were put with the building in the upper part. Now with this new information, we can clearly think of it in a different way," added Gonzaldez. The Mayan ruins at Palenque is one of Mexico's most mysterious with new discoveries made regularly. Last year, investigators finally decoded the hieroglyphic name of the Mayan King Pakal at the temple decades after the modern-day discovery of the site. The Maya civilisation, which developed hieroglyphic writing, a calendar and astronomical system, reached its peak of influence between AD 250 and 900, extending its reach over what is now Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Palenque was its most important city of the low western lands during the late Classic period, reaching its peak between 600 and 800 AD. Along with Tikal and Calakmul, it was one of the most powerful Classic Mayan cities, as well as the seat of the distinguished Pakal dynasty. (Reuters)

Passage to Afterlife: Canals discovered beneath ancient Mayan temple

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