7,000-year-old bones uncovered at construction site in startling find

Archaeologists excavating the site of a planned elementary school in Germany have unearthed a roughly 7,000-year-old skeleton — the oldest known grave ever discovered in the city.The discovery, made in the German city of Leipzig, was announced by the Saxony State Office for Archaeology in late September.Archaeologists were brought in ahead of the school's construction because the site was near a previously known Bronze Age archaeological site, officials said in a statement.ANCIENT 'SEATED' SKELETONS UNEARTHED BENEATH MODERN SCHOOL SITE, PUZZLING ARCHAEOLOGISTS"Prehistoric finds were also to be expected simply because of the site's flood-free location near the White Elster River, within the fertile Leipzig Lowland Basin, an area exceptionally rich in archaeological finds," they added.Instead of simple artifacts, the excavation uncovered the remains of an ancient Neolithic settlement, including the roughly 7,000-year-old grave.Archaeologists in Leipzig, Germany, uncovered a roughly 7,000-year-old skeleton while excavating the site of a planned elementary school.(Sebastian Willnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)The grave dates to a period when people were transitioning from hunting and gathering to living in permanent settlements, farming and raising livestock, according to officials.The person buried there is believed to have belonged to the Linear Pottery culture — named for the distinctive spiral and wavy patterns decorating its pottery.SHOCKING DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT BONES TURNS COUPLE'S KITCHEN RENOVATION INTO 'CRIME SCENE'Archaeologists also uncovered the remains of a 98-foot-long wooden house, along with evidence of at least two other houses."The discovery of a burial within the settlement came as a surprise."The experts were taken aback by the unexpected discovery of the grave."The discovery of a burial within the settlement came as a surprise," officials said."This is a rare stroke of luck because, in large parts of Saxony, bone preservation is so poor t...