Excavations at the megalithic tomb in Wanna started

Excavation from a bird's eye view. During the first week of excavation, large parts of the Wanna megalithic tomb, FStNr. 1591, which had been covered by the bog, were uncovered again (Photo: D. Dallaserra).

Public tours of the excavation site take place every Wednesday at 3 p.m. (Photo: D. Dallaserra).

Excavations have been underway again on the outskirts of the village of Ahlen-Falkenberg in the district of Cuxhaven since the beginning of July. As part of the ‘Between the rivers and against the tide’ project, Dr Moritz Mennenga's team is investigating a 5000-year-old megalithic tomb from the Funnel Beaker culture. Initial preliminary investigations were carried out in 2020 as part of the previous project ‘Relics in the Bog’, which revealed an almost undisturbed grave. The site will now be fully uncovered and investigated in the course of two excavation campaigns this summer and next summer. This year, the focus will be on the burial chamber and the area to the north of the tomb, where depositions are expected. The excavations are intended to provide new insights into the burial traditions of the Funnel Beaker culture by carrying out extensive scientific investigations, such as soil DNA and lipid analyses, in addition to the archaeological research. The team of ten people on average is made up of students from the Netherlands and Germany as well as excavation volunteers. Dr Anja Behrens is in charge of the local excavation; excavation technician Dirk Dallaserra is responsible for the technical organisation of the excavation. Regular guided tours take place every Wednesday at 3 pm until the end of the excavation on 29 August 2025.