Archaeologists discovered a medieval floor made of bones

Hundreds of years ago, someone in Holland came to the conclusion that the best way to fill the gaps in their floors was with bones, not tiles.

Municipal archaeologists working in the historic center of the Dutch city of Alkmaar discovered a historic floor partially covered with animal bones. This rare feature was announced by the municipality on December 13 statementdocumented only in the province of North Holland, usually on floors of the 15th century.

“We were delighted to have the opportunity to see this bone floor with our own eyes. It’s always a privilege to uncover something from the past and add new information to Alkmaar’s history,” said Nancy de Jong, Alkmaar municipal archaeologist.

The bones are parts of cattle metacarpal and metatarsal bones (foot bones) and are all cut to the same size. Despite how worn the floor was, archaeologists were able to uncover some kind of pattern of bone structure. Specifically, the bones were placed vertically, either with the edges or the sawn end facing up.

Archaeologists have seen this sort of thing before, finding similar bone features in floors at Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Edam, with the Hoorn floor showing a particularly similar pattern. Experts now wonder if this is a flooring solution or design common in the Netherlands in the 15th century.

Archaeologists have not yet determined the date of the recently discovered bone floor. The house in question was built in the early 17th century, but that doesn’t mean the floor itself is from the same century. In fact, according to archaeologists, it was not uncommon for new houses to be built on old foundations, meaning that the floor, like most of the other examples of bone floors, could still date back to the 15th century.

Perhaps more interesting than the history is the question why someone would choose to fill the holes in the floor with bones. Archaeologists explained that tiles were not expensive at the time, so there was no obvious economic advantage to using bones. Perhaps they were not intended as slabs, but simply as fillers. The team also hypothesized that this feature might make sense in the context of the type of craft produced there.

“There are many hidden stories still preserved, waiting for our team of archaeologists to come and find them,” said Anjo van de Ven, Alkmaar municipality’s heritage representative. “I’m always excited when they call me with an update on a find. What cool thing did they discover now? “I think so.”

Finally, the mystery of the bone floor remains, but I hope that archaeologists will continue to investigate the find. Meanwhile, the rest of the world has apparently discovered a new long-lasting flooring solution.