Archaeologists have discovered a medieval floor made of bones

Hundreds of years ago, someone in the Netherlands figured out that the best way to fill the gaps in their floors was not with tiles, but with bone.

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

“We were very happy to have the opportunity to see this bone floor with our own eyes. It is always an honor to discover something from a bygone era and add new information to the history of Alkmaar,” Nancy de Jong, Alkmaar municipal archaeologist, said in the statement.

The bones are parts of the cattle’s metatarsus and metatarsus (foot bones), all cut to the same size. Despite the extent of the floor’s erosion, archaeologists were able to detect some sort of pattern in the arrangement of the bones. Specifically, the bones are positioned vertically, with the blunt end or cut end facing upward.

Archaeologists have seen this kind of thing before, having previously discovered similar bone features in floors at Hoorn, Enkhuizen, and Edam, with the Hoorn floor showing a particularly similar pattern. Experts now wonder if this was a common flooring solution or design in the 15th century in Holland.

Archaeologists have not yet determined the date of the recently discovered bone floor. The house opposite was built at the beginning of the 17th century, but this does not necessarily mean that the floor itself dates from the same century. In fact, it was not uncommon for new homes to be built on top of old foundations, according to archaeologists, which means the floor could date back to the 15th century, like most other examples of bone floors.

Perhaps the question is more interesting than the history Why Someone may choose to fill holes in their floor with bones. Archaeologists explained that tiles were not expensive at the time, so there was no clear economic advantage to using bone. They were probably intended simply to serve as grout, rather than as tiles. The team also hypothesized that this feature might have made sense in the context of the type of craft produced there.

“There are a huge number of hidden stories that are 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 discovery. What cool thing have they discovered now? – I guess.”

Ultimately, the mystery of the bone floor remains, but hopefully it won’t remain for long as archaeologists continue to investigate the find. Meanwhile, the rest of the world has clearly discovered a new, long-lasting flooring solution.