USA Premiere

"Unearthed"; is about one of the most important, exciting and spectacular cases in European archaeology: the 9000-year-old grave of the shamaness of Bad Dürrenberg near Halle is a key discovery of the last hunter-gatherer groups in Central Europe.

It dates back to a time from which there are no written records. Recovered by the Nazis and thought to be a blond, white-skinned man, the shamaness of Bad Dürrenberg was in fact the most powerful woman of her time.

The latest scientific research shows that she was dark-skinned, had physical deformities and was a spiritual leader. Even centuries after her death, her grave was still visited by people who needed help. This is shown by votive offerings such as the two deer antler masks that were still placed near the grave 600 years later.

The case shows the contradiction that is also current in archaeology: fake news vs. science - in the case of the shamaness, the brutal misinterpretation and instrumentalisation to support racial theory by the Nazis as opposed to the well-founded scientific findings of today. It also shows that the widespread view of history according to which women have always been inferior to men is outdated. Instead, women must have played a strong and central role in prehistory.

Using the latest information from DNA and bone isotope analyses of the skeleton, the film team worked with leading scientists to create a lifelike avatar of the shamaness of Bad Dürrenberg, bringing an ancient mystery to life. The documentary uses state-of-the-art virtual production techniques: with Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics engine, the team created a real-looking digital world based on scientific fact.