18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists Discovered a Mysterious Ancient Bone Floor in Alkmaar, the Netherlands

Archaeologists found a part of a floor made of animal bones in Alkmaar, North Holland, the Netherlands. Experts are intrigued by the discovery, which was made in a building on Achterdam Street. It is the most recent instance of a type of floor that is rarely seen, even in the province of Noord-Holland.

Archaeologists were given access to the site to examine it during a renovation project, which led to the unusual discovery. Before long, they came upon what looked like the remnants of an ancient tiled floor that had been partially filled in with bones.

Cattle mid-hand and mid-foot bones were found in a pattern created to fill in spaces in an old tile floor. In order to create a discernible pattern, the bones were all meticulously cut to the same height. Some were arranged with their tops facing up, while others had their flat, cut sides facing upward.

Nancy de Jong, one of the archaeologists working on the project, said on behalf of team Archaeology: ‘We were very happy to get the chance to see this bone floor with our own eyes. Every time, it remains a privilege to uncover something from a bygone era and add new information to the history of Alkmaar.”

Although such floors are very rare, the discovery is not a first for northern Holland. What is interesting, however, is that they have only been found in North Holland. Previously such floors have been found in Hoorn, Enkhuizen, and Edam, and now in Alkmaar. In the Hoorn example, exactly the same thing seems to be going on and the vertically placed bones were also used in combination with a tiled floor.

A close-up of the bone floor in a building on the Achterdam, Alkmaar center. Photo: Team Archaeology, municipality of Alkmaar
A close-up of the bone floor in a building on the Achterdam, Alkmaar center. Photo: Team Archaeology, municipality of Alkmaar

Although the precise date of installation is still unknown, the floor most likely dates from the 15th century. Since the present building on the property was built circa 1609, some experts speculate that it might have been built on the foundations of an earlier structure, which was a common practice at the time.

It’s still unknown why animal bones were used on the floor. According to archaeologists, the bones might have been selected for a particular purpose, perhaps connected to the occupations or activities that were conducted in the structure at the time. But it’s also possible that the bones were used as an inexpensive way to cover the spaces left by missing tiles.

Archaeologists will keep examining the site over the next few weeks to ascertain the floor’s complete size and whether additional examination of the bones can reveal more about its function. The discovery and its possible historical significance are of interest to the city’s heritage officials as well.

“The discovery of this floor is incredibly interesting. The work of our archaeologists is incredibly important, and I’m thrilled that they are regularly able to be involved in projects like this,” said Anjo Van de Ven,  the local heritage councilor.

 “In the historical city center of Alkmaar, it is crucial to treat the soil carefully. There are still many hidden stories waiting to be uncovered.”

Municipality of Alkmaar

Cover Image Credit: The bone floor in a building on the Achterdam, Alkmaar center. Photo: Team Archaeology, Municipality of Alkmaar

Related Articles

Evidence of Intentional Roman Use of Narcotic Seeds, Found in Bone Vessel in the Netherlands

8 February 2024

8 February 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the first conclusive evidence of the existence of a hallucinogenic and poisonous plant thought to have been...

New evidence for the use of lions during executions in Roman Britain

9 August 2021

9 August 2021

Archaeologists have discovered an elaborate key as proof that wild animals were employed as execution vehicles in public arena events...

Human remains found at prison sewer site are 4,500 years old in East Yorkshire

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Archaeologists investigating the site of a new sewer to serve a jail being built at Full Sutton in East Yorkshire,...

The Americas’ oldest known bead discovered near Douglas, Wyoming

9 March 2024

9 March 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest known bead in the Americas at the La Prele Mammoth site in Converse County, United...

Roman gilded silver fragment uncovered in Norfolk baffles researchers

27 March 2023

27 March 2023

In Norfolk, a metal detector uncovered an ancient Roman fragment made of gilded silver. The piece was clearly a part...

A stone bathtub, which is considered to be the first example of ‘water birth’, was found in Ani Ruins

7 September 2022

7 September 2022

A stone tub was found in the large bath, whose birth was mentioned in a work by the Turkish scholar...

50 Lost War Helmets Found Near Wrocław University

16 June 2025

16 June 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, over 50 military helmets from both World Wars have been unearthed just steps away from...

2000-year-old Ancient Greek ‘graduate school yearbook’ carved in stone found

5 June 2022

5 June 2022

Historians have discovered that an ancient Greek inscription on a marble slab in the collection of the National Museums of...

600 Years Old Sword and Equipment Found in Olsztyn

22 April 2021

22 April 2021

Aleksander Miedwiediew, a history buff, and detectorist discovered a bare sword, a sheath, and a knight’s belt with two knives...

A first-of-its-kind Ayyanar stone idol found in Vellore, India

25 June 2022

25 June 2022

An Ayyanar stone idol, the first of its kind in Vellore, was discovered at Thandalai Krishnapuram (TK Puram) in Tamil...

Bone tools for bleeding cows discovered in a 7,000-year-old cemetery in Sudan

24 March 2023

24 March 2023

During excavations in the Letti basin in northern Sudan, archaeologists have unearthed 7,000-year-old bone tools used to bleed cows. Explorers...

4,000 Years of Wisdom: Women’s Rights and Inheritance in the Kültepe Tablets

8 March 2025

8 March 2025

The Kültepe Tablets, discovered in the ancient site of Kültepe (ancient Kanesh) in central Anatolia, are approximately 4,000 years old...

The Big Universe Coming Out from the Dust “in Esna Temple”

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

While the Esna Temple has been waiting to renew and breathe again for a long time, it has recently experienced...

Archaeologists in Derbyshire have unearthed a 9th century Anglo Saxon house

15 July 2021

15 July 2021

A nearly complete Anglo-Saxon house, considered to date from the early ninth century and might have been the abode of...

God Pan statue unearthed at Istanbul’s historical church of St. Polyeuctus

1 June 2023

1 June 2023

A Pan statue thought to belong to the Roman period was recovered during excavation works carried out by Istanbul Metropolitan...