"It's often small things that reveal something about times gone by, said Eberhard Volker, archaeologist at the State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments. He and his colleagues suspect that goat brain was a popular snack in medieval times. Volker leads excavations at the Molkenmarkt in the historic center of Berlin, digging down into the past with a shovel, trowel and brush."
"At a depth of 4 meters (13 feet), researchers reach the Middle Ages. Atop fire debris and rubble, Berlin's ground level has risen precisely 4 meters in 800 years. "This is where Berlin began," he said, pointing to the mounds of earth behind him. Toilet treasures The Molkenmarkt is one of Germany's largest inner city excavations a gigantic hole covering over 22,000 square meters (some 237,000 square feet)."
Excavations at Molkenmarkt in central Berlin penetrate medieval layers at about four meters, reflecting a ground level rise of four meters over 800 years. The site covers over 22,000 square meters and has produced roughly 750,000 finds since 2019. Frequent discoveries include sawed-open goat skulls that suggest goat brain consumption in medieval diets. Archaeologists recover well-preserved organic materials from latrines and dried wells because oxygen deprivation slows decay. A wooden plate from a cesspit still carries fecal odor after centuries. A small clay figurine of St. Catherine likely functioned as a house altar to protect families from misfortune.
Read at www.dw.com
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