Ancient wishing well unearthed after 3,000 years with evidence of mysterious rituals – and a hidden treasure inside
Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient well dating back 3,000 years.
The well was discovered by researchers in Germering, a small town located in Bavaria, Germany, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
Inside the 16-foot-deep well, archaeologists found ceramics, jewelry, and other items from the Bronze Age.
Researchers believed that inhabitants from that time put objects into the bottom of the well for ritual purposes.
The area has been of interest to archaeologists since 2021 when they began excavation.
To date, they’ve discovered more than 70 wells from the Bronze Age to the early Middle Ages in that area.
Most of the wells were used to supply the settlements with water, according to Marcus Guckenbiehl, an archaeologist and archivist for Germering.
However, this find differed from the others in that it featured hidden treasures at the bottom.
Some of the items include bronze clothing pins, and more than 70 pieces of ceramics, such as bowls, cups, and pots.
Researchers also uncovered a bracelet, two metal spirals, an animal tooth, amber beads, and a wooden scoop.
The team believes that inhabitants may have suffered from low groundwater levels, or even a drought when they dug the wells.
What’s more, that may be how the concept of “wishing wells” came to be.
The archaeologists say that inhabitants may have lowered some of their special possessions into the well as “wish.”
“Even today, fountains have something magical about them for many people,” Mathias Pfeil, who leads the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection, said in an English-translated German statement.
“They drop coins in the hope that their wishes will be granted,” Pfeil added.