Dutch archaeologists recently came across a creepy, centuries-old floor made of animal bones in an unusual neighborhood.
The discovery was announced on Dec. 13 by Heritage Alkmaar, an archaeological organization within the municipality of Alkmaar in North Holland. The floor was found in a 16th century building in Achterdam, a red-light district in Alkmaar.
While the house was built around 1609, Heritage Alkmaar said it believes that the floor may be even older – possibly an earlier foundation built in the 15th century. In a Facebook post translated from Dutch to English, the organization explained that the bone floor came as a surprise to archaeologists.
"[The old floor is] not so remarkable, but what is remarkable is that the tiles are gone in some places and that those places are filled with a floor made of bones," Heritage Alkmaar wrote.
Officials say that all the bones on the floor came from cattle. Before this discovery, floors made of animal bones had only been found in the Dutch cities of Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Edam.
"This kind of floor are rarely found, and so far only in North Holland," the archaeological organization said. "So [this is] a very special find."
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Heritage Alkmaar also noted that the bones in the floor were cut at "exactly the same height."
"It looks like the bones were simply used as filler for the holes in the floor, and yet there seems to be a pattern," the organization added.
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"In one plane are the bones with the top side above, and in the other plane with the sawed underside of the bone."
In a statement, archaeologist Nancy de Jong stated that she was "very happy" to witness the archaeological discovery.
"It remains a privilege every time to expose something from a long-past time and to add new information to the history of Alkmaar," she said.
