Man buried with large stones on his chest to prevent him from 'rising from the grave' unearthed in Germany

Archaeologists have unearthed the grave of a man weighed down by stones — apparently to prevent him from rising from the dead as a "revenant" — while excavating around a 17th-century gallows in Germany.

The grave, located near the town of Quedlinburg in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, is one of at least 16 discovered at the gallows site, where criminals were executed by hanging from the 1660s until the early 19th century.

Fear of such revenants in Europe rose between the 16th and 18th centuries, Marita Genesis, an archaeologist who is leading the excavations on behalf of state authorities, told Live Science.

"These were people who had possibly died an early death, or a sudden death, without confession or absolution," she said. "It was fear that they might return to the realm of living, [so] various measures were taken to prevent the deceased from doing so."

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Such measures could include spraying incense, placing wooden crosses, binding the limbs of the deceased, or covering them with brushwood, she said. In this case, the man was buried on his back, without a coffin, and large stones were placed on his chest — a measure "obviously intended to prevent him from rising from the grave," Genesis said.

The buried skeleton showed no signs of execution, though hanging and drowning wouldn't have left any visible marks. Further examinations may reveal how the man died, she said.