A team of archaeologists conducting an exploration in Germany, in anticipation of an upcoming apartment complex construction, made significant discoveries.

Initially finding remnants of a fortification dating back to around 1634 A.D., the archaeologists were then astonished to uncover eight mass graves from two distinct Black Death events in the northern part of the site.

In Terra Veritas reported that these burials, containing over a thousand skeletons of Plague victims, may constitute the largest mass grave ever excavated in Europe.

The eight burials are categorized into two groups. The first group, likely predating the fortification, is covered with a layer of sand, potentially soil excavated for the 1634 building construction.

The second group of graves seems to be slightly more recent, the Miami Herald reported.

Archaeologists have fully excavated one of the graves and partially excavated two others situated partly on the site.

The burials contained green-tinted bones and skeletons, a result of centuries of metal processing factories being built atop the graves after burial.

In the three excavated graves, researchers found tightly packed skeletons of various ages.

Adults were positioned in sitting or lying postures on their sides and backs, with babies and infants placed in the spaces between adult remains.

Anthropologist Florian Melzer noted that the remains were in good condition.

Written by B.C. Begley