Archaeologists have discovered a strange floor made up of bones during the excavation in the central area of city in the Netherlands.
As per NewsWeek, the rare discovery was made during the renovation of a building in Achterdam, a district located in Alkmaar.
During the renovation work, archaeologists discovered an old tiled floor that was very worn.
While, finding such a floor is not unusual, the researchers were surprised to see that in some parts of the floor, the tiles had been replaced with bones.
The bones discovered are from cattle, particularly from the lower limbs. These bones were cut to the same length, possibly for a specific purpose.
It appears the bones were used to fill the gaps in the floors, but the reason for using bones instead of other material and the time period is unknown.
Nancy de Jong said in a statement, "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.”
Meanwhile, Alkmaar councilor for heritage Anjo van de Ven expressed, “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.”
Ven added, “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."
However, the researchers plan to continue examining the floor to check if the bones go beyond the areas visible so far.