Archaeologists Uncover Nine Large Graves Containing Remains of Horses Dated Back 2,000 Years Ago

An astonishing set of horse graves in France that are thought to have been made some 2,000 years ago have been found by archaeologists.

In the commune of Villedieu-sur-Indre, in the country's center, a team affiliated with the French National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) has discovered nine pits containing the bones of twenty-eight horses.

Spectacular Display

Despite the description of the horses' burial as a "spectacular display," it's still unclear what specifically killed them.

Only two of the pits have been completely excavated thus far. Ten whole horse bones, all laying on their right side with their heads pointing south, can be seen in the first; they look to have been meticulously put in the pit.

The horses were buried soon after they died, based on the careful way the bodies were arranged. The horses are all adult males, most likely more than four years old. Additionally, they are small, with a wither height of about 4 feet.

Similar to the larger pit, the second pit that has been completely excavated is smaller and only has two separate horse skeletons in it.

While work on the remaining excavations is still ongoing, scientists have discovered surface-level skull and bone remnants, so far, 28 distinct horses have been identified.

By using radiocarbon dating, archaeologists were able to establish that the horses lived for around 200 years, from 100 BC to 100 AD.

Death Of The Horses

The latest discovery, according to Isabelle Pichon, leader of Inrap's archeological program, is "extraordinary... but a mystery."

Since there are no young or female horses among the dead, illnesses can be ruled out, leaving only two plausible scenarios on the deaths of the horses, either the horses were sacrificed, or they died in battle and were buried with respect.

"We think because of where they were buried that they were linked to the Gallic wars waged by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC, but this is still just a theory," she said.

The possibility that the horses were murdered and buried as part of a ritual, that dates back thousands of years in Europe, cannot be ruled out by the researchers, though. In the event that this explanation is right, a lot of horses being murdered implies that this kind of rite would have been very significant.

Similar findings have been found at various French war sites related to the Gallics. 53 horses were buried in five different pits at one location, while eight riders and their horses were housed in a trench at another. According to the news release, the sites are near battlegrounds in the area, suggesting that they may have been buried after being slain in those conflicts.

There was no explanation provided as to why the animals would have been killed, although it was mentioned that the loss of 28 horses was a "massive drain on the heart of a herd."

According to Pichon, soil samples and bone samples have been tested for DNA.