When digging under a building, archaeologists can uncover ancient ceramic tiles or beautiful Roman paintings.
But a team in the Netherlands has found something even more surprising – under the bones.
The well-arranged bones were found inside a house in Achterdam, the red light district of Dutch the city of Alkmaar.
Taken from dead cows, the bones may have been buried 500 years ago during the construction of the building, experts think.
However, the bones were buried centuries before Achterdam became famous as a red light district.
The municipality of Alkmaar, Gemeente Alkmaar, said: “The question is why the bones were used to fill the floor.
‘Tiles were not very expensive and were used often. It is possible that the bones were placed there for a special purpose.
‘Perhaps because it fit in well with the art that might have been done here. It can also be a cheap way to fill it.’
A good bone repair could be done without the need for more tiles or to fill the damaged hole.
Achterdam is a red light district in the Dutch city of Alkmaar, about 18 miles (30km) north of the capital Amsterdam. Photo, the house under which the bones were found
Specialists from the city’s heritage service were renovating the building – which was built in 1609 – when they found the bones.
The bones were covered with a thin layer of loam – a mixture of sand, silt, and clay – which was later covered with recent tiles.
The exact time the bones were deposited is still under investigation, but experts estimate that it may have been in the 1500s.
“The house was built in 1609,” Nancy de Jong, archaeologist for the town of Alkmaar, told MailOnline.
‘But it is possible that the foundations and the lower level of the floor where the bones were are very old.
‘It is common for houses to be built on old foundations.’
Alkmaar is thought to be around 1,000 years old, as the first mention of the city is in a 10th century document.
The bones are metacarpals and metatarsals from the lower legs of the cow, all cut to the same length – but why exactly they were used instead of tiles is not clear.
According to experts, the bones will be re-examined to see if there are clues about how the floor was used.
During an excavation at Achterdam in the center of Alkmaar, the city’s archaeologists discovered a floor made of animal bones.
The addition of well-prepared bones could be done without the necessary number of tiles, or to fill the hole created by the damage.
“We were very happy to have the opportunity to see the ground with our own eyes,” said de Jong.
‘It’s always an opportunity to uncover something from the past and add something new to Alkmaar’s history.’
Although the history of using bones in this way is unusual, it has never happened before in the Netherlands – but only in North Holland.
Previously, these types of floors were found in the cities of Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Edam – which, like Alkmaar, are located in North Holland.
In Hoorn’s model, the bones laid on the floor were also used in combination with the floor tiles, suggesting that it was a deliberate technique used with North Holland tiles.
According to experts, the bones will be re-examined to see if there are any clues as to how the floor was used.
Anjo van de Ven, Alkmaar Municipality’s heritage councilor, said: ‘Finding this site is very exciting.
Achterdam (pictured) – a 490-foot street with windowed prostitution on both sides – is located in the center of Alkmaar’s old capital.
‘There are many hidden stories, waiting for our team of archaeologists to come and find them.’
Achterdam – a 490-foot street with windowed prostitution on both sides – is located in the center of Alkmaar’s old capital, famous for its cheese market.
Since the Middle Ages people have been able to go to Alkmaar for paid sex, although at that time the red light district of the city was the Vrouwenstraat (Women’s Street) a little further south.
The Christian church considered sex to be inappropriate, and it was necessary to protect other women from being touched and from death.
in 1973, the first brothel on Achterdam – at that time still a street that mainly housed traditional craftsmen such as barrel makers, hat makers and rope makers – was opened.
This was the starting point in Achterdam as a red light district, which is the only place in Alkmaar where window prostitution is allowed.
Unfortunately, Achterdam has since become a place of prostitution and the murder of two prostitutes in 1996, although since the beginning of this century, rooms can be operated with a permit from the town.
