Brian McDonald
An archaeological dig in France uncovered more than two dozen dead horses and left researchers with an intriguing mystery.
The excavation, located in Villedieu-sur-Indre in central France, revealed several buildings, moats, ditches and even a path from the early Middle Ages, according to a French press release. National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research. The discoveries included nine pits containing horse remains.
Archaeologists used radiocarbon dating to determine that horses lived between 100 BC and 100 AD, a period of about 200 years.
Only two of the wells have been fully excavated so far. In one pit, the horses were found lying on their right sides, with their heads facing south, according to the news release. The animals were “carefully placed in the pit and arranged in two rows and on two levels,” and evidence shows that the horses were “buried simultaneously, very quickly after their death.” All the horses were small males, over four years old and probably Gallic animals.
François Goulin, INRAP
The second grave contains only two horses, but they were buried in the same way as the others.
Another pit was found to contain two adult dogs, positioned and “carefully placed” in the same way, the statement said, but researchers don’t know what — if anything — the canine inclusion means. Although other graves have not yet been fully excavated, researchers found bone remains that allowed them to identify at least 28 horses buried at the site.
The accuracy and uniformity of the cemeteries left researchers wondering how and why the animals died. According to the press release, disease can be ruled out since there are no young horses or females among the dead, leaving only two likely options: the horses may have fallen in battle and been buried with honors, or they may have been sacrificed.
Hamid Azmoun, INRAP
Similar discoveries have been made at other Gallic battle sites in France. One had a pit that contained eight riders and their horses, while another site had 53 horses buried in five pits. The locations are close to battlefields in the region, and it is possible that they were killed in these battles and buried, according to the statement.
Little information was provided about why the animals might have been euthanized, with the press release noting that the death of 28 horses was a “huge drain on the heart of a herd.”
Researchers continue to study the pits and other structures at the site to try to answer how and why the animals died and what else the site may have been used for.
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