Station: [39] The Body in the Pit

Between the towns of Hartenstein and Königstein in the Upper Palatinate lies a hill called Kleeberg. In 1980, local speleologists – cavers – noticed a small depression on the hillside. They suspected it might mark the entrance to a cave, and started digging. When prehistoric finds came to light, the excavation continued as a proper archaeological dig. A pit cave was revealed. It was about 19 metres or 62 feet deep, though material had accumulated naturally in prehistoric times and filled it to a depth of about 5 metres – equivalent to 16 feet.

As well as potsherds, a hammerhead made of antler, the skull of a dog and various charcoal fragments, the find included disjointed human skeletal remains. These spectacular human remains later gave rise to widespread speculation about ritual human sacrifice and cannibalism.

However, more recent investigations in 2019 came up with a different picture. The bones represent the partial skeleton of a young man. He was seriously ill, suffering from what’s known as hyperlordosis – a pronounced inward curve of the lower back – and also had advanced bone tuberculosis. Marks on the bones indicate that the man's body had been gnawed at by animals – evidence that it had been lying in the open for some time, probably outside the pit. Animals were presumably also responsible for ripping the body apart. Other people probably came across the remains and moved them into the pit. They may even have held a funeral ritual and provided grave goods to pay their respects to the deceased.