It’s a strange find, but not entirely. It happened in the Netherlands. It was there that the floor built with bones was found. The event occurred during an architectural renovation project of a building in the Dutch city of Alkmaar. Archaeologists from the Netherlands made a find considered rare in the region. It is a floor built with animal bones.
organized bones
Bones from the middle of the front and hind legs of cattle were found in a pattern. They were meticulously cut. They were used to fill gaps in an old tile floor. In the words of the researchers, some were arranged with the top facing up. And others had flat sides and cut upwards.
Although they are rare, soils of this nature had already been found. In these, the mosaic was complete with carefully placed bones. It happened in the cities of Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Edamdel in the north of the Netherlands. Now, the discovery in Alkmaar may provide clues that the practice was a widespread technique throughout the community.
It is true that the exact date of installation is still unknown. However, it is clear that the floor probably dates from the 15th century. The property was built around 1609. Still, it is possible that the building was built on an earlier structure, a common practice at the time, some experts point out.
Extended practice
It is still not known exactly why animal bones were used in the floor. But archaeologists speculate that their selection was carried out for a specific purpose. Perhaps it was related to the occupations or activities taking place in the structure at the time. Another hypothesis is that they were used as an economical way to cover the spaces left by the missing tiles.
More thorough checks of the soil extent and additional examinations will be carried out in the coming weeks. The goal is to reveal the possible historical significance behind the discovery.
