The land where Winkel now stands was already settled in pre-Christian times. In the spring of 1958, barrows were found at the northwest municipal limit. These were investigated by the Trier State Museum ("Landesmuseum Trier"). Some barrows had been destroyed by agricultural activities, but one was quite intact and well preserved. It was 2.9 m long and 1.1 m wide. The museum's investigation found that the body lay in a log halved lengthwise and hollowed out to form a kind of coffin. At the man's feet lay grave goods: a "potbellied" pot and a dish. Also found was a lance whose head was about 32 cm long. The barrow was originally roughly 1.5 m high and 15 m in diameter.