In July, workers uncovered multiple graves near the town of Krauschwitz dating back 4,500 years to the Neolithic Corded Ware Culture. The Salzmünde Culture was a regional offshoot of the broader Funnelbeaker Culture that lived along the lower and middle Saale River between roughly 3400–3050 BCE. Experts believe these details reflect the complexities of funerals for the Salzmünde Culture. This further suggests Salzmünde Culture mourning rituals required multiple phases before they were completed. While direct evidence, archaeologists think the process reflected the harsh era in which the Salzmünde Culture lived.