Archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious floor of bones during investigations in the center of a city in the Netherlands.
The rare and unusual find came to light during the renovation of a building in Achterdam, a district in Alkmaar, a city in the province of North Holland.
Amid the works, a team of municipal archaeologists revealed the remains of an old, very worn tiled floor. While such a find is not out of the ordinary, the researchers noticed that in some sections, the tiles had been replaced with bones.
The bones used are those of cattle—in particular, metacarpals and metatarsals, which are found in the lower limbs. All of the bones have been cut to be the same length. It seems that the bones were used to fill holes in the floor, although why exactly this decision was made remains unclear—as does the age of the fitting.
A close-up of the bone floor uncovered in a building in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. The bones used come from cattle. A close-up of the bone floor uncovered in a building in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. The bones used come from cattle. Municipality of Alkmaar archaeology team"We were very happy to have the chance to see this bone floor with our own eyes. It is always a privilege to uncover something from a long-gone era and add new information to the history of Alkmaar," Nancy de Jong said in a statement.
These types of bone flooring are very rare finds, but the handful of examples that are known typically date to the 15th century.
Regarding the recently uncovered example in Alkmaar, researchers are currently investigating the question of how old it might be.
In principle, the bone floor could date back to the 15th century, but the house that now stands in the location was not built until around the year 1609. It is possible though that this house was constructed on the original, older foundation—a commonly seen phenomenon.
The main question arising from the latest discovery is why bones were used to fill in parts of the tiled floor. Tiles were not particularly expensive in the rough period that the floor might date to.
The archaeologists suggest that the bones may have been placed there for a special reason—perhaps because the design fitted in well with whatever the building was being used for at the time. But the use of bones may also have simply been a cheap way to fill gaps in the tiled floor.
Researchers plan to continue investigating the floor in order to determine whether the bones extend further than what is currently visible, and if the remains might reveal insights into how the space was used.
"Discovering this floor is incredibly interesting. I am therefore happy that our archaeologists regularly get the chance to look along on projects and that companies and residents know where to find them when they are needed," Alkmaar councilor for heritage Anjo van de Ven said in a statement.
"There are still so many hidden stories, waiting for our team of archaeologists to come and find them. I am always excited when they call me with an update on a find."
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