Emily Chan
In France, some horses were buried around 2,000 years ago. A team of archaeologists from the French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) recently uncovered the remains of 28 horses from nine different pits in Villedieu-sur-Indre, a commune located in central France.
So far, only two of the pits have been excavated thoroughly. Inside the first pit, there were 10 complete horse skeletons. The horses were placed on their right sides with their heads pointed toward the south.
They were all adult males over four years old and measured around four feet tall. The purposeful arrangement of their bodies suggests that they were buried shortly after their deaths.
“The horses were carefully placed in the pits—they were not thrown away but installed next to each other. It shows respect for the animal,” Séverine Braguier, an archaeozoologist with INRAP, said.
The second pit was smaller than the first and contained two individual horse skeletons. Another pit containing animal remains was uncovered in the area as well. The remains were of two medium-sized adult dogs lying on their left sides with their heads facing the west.
The animal remains were found during excavations at a site dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries. The site included several ditches, buildings, and a path from the early medieval period.
But, according to radiocarbon dating, the animal remains were older and originated from the period 100 B.C. to A.D. 100.
Archaeologists are still conducting investigations at the site. At this time, 28 horses have been identified. It is unclear how and why the horses died. Some theories include that they were killed in battle or sacrificed during a ritual.
The researchers have dismissed the idea of a disease epidemic since no young horses or mares were present in the burials.
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