Badger in Germany digs up medieval tombs and uncovers 12th century heathen burial ground

A BADGER has discovered medieval chieftain tombs that have been hailed as a "significant find" by archaeologists.

Honey Badger

A BADGER has discovered medieval chieftain tombs that have been hailed as a "significant find" by archaeologists.

The badger unearthed human bones while digging its underground dean on a farm near Stolpe, Germany, the Spiegel reports.

Hendrikje Ring and Lars Wilhelm, sculptors and amateur archaeologists who live on the farm, stumbled across the bones when they decided to exhibit their work on the badger's den.

"We spotted a pelvic bone that had been dug up, it was clearly human," Mr Ring told the Speigel.

"It wasn’t exactly surprising to us because a whole field of ancient graves had been found on the other side of the road in the 1960s."

Curious, the men pushed a camera into the badger's den and discovered jewellery inside.

"This doesn’t make him (the badger) and archaeologist but he’s the one who discovered it," said Mr Ring, who notified authorities of the find.

Archaeologists have since uncovered eight graves from the 12th century on the property, including two burial sites of Slavic chieftains. Researchers have discovered swords, bronze bowls, an arrow head and a belt with a snake head buckle, and say the site is significant because it is a rare heathen burial ground.

A woman's body with a coin over her mouth - to buy passage into the afterlife - was also discovered.

Mr Wilhelm was given an archaeology award in honour of the find, and the badger is "one of our honorary members too," said Brandenburg Department for Monument protection Thomas Kersting.