Archaeologists stumble upon a mysterious floor of bones in Amsterdam's red-light district. Photo

Archaeologists found a mysterious floor of bones during the renovation. The carefully stacked bones were discovered in the red-light district of Alkmaar, the Netherlands.

Experts believe that the bones, which are of dead cattle, could have been laid about 500 years ago during the construction of the building. However, the unusual building material was laid centuries before Achterdam became known as a red-light district where prostitution and other types of sex industry flourish, writes DailyMail.

Specialists from the city's heritage service were renovating a house that was built in 1609 when they came across an unusual discovery. The bones were covered with a thin layer of loam - a soil composed of sand, silt, and clay - that was then covered with recent tiles.

The exact period when the bones were laid is still being investigated, but experts suggest that it could be the 15th century.

"The building itself was constructed in 1609. But it's possible that the foundations and the lower level of the floor where the bones were found are much older. It is common for houses to be built on older foundations," said archaeologist Nancy de Jong.

The question is why the bones were used to fill the tiled floor. Tiles were not particularly expensive and were used frequently. Perhaps the bones were laid there for a special reason as they were well suited to the craft that was probably practiced here. It could also have been a cheap way to create a floor, the Alkmaar municipality noted.

According to the researchers, the floor was lined with the bones of cattle's lower limbs, which were carefully cut into pieces of equal size.

"We were very happy to have the chance to see this bone floor with our own eyes. It is always a privilege to uncover something from a long-gone era and add new information to the history of Alkmaar," added Nancy.

Although the historical use of bones in this way is unusual, it is not such a surprising discovery in the Netherlands, experts say. Previously, these types of floors have been found in the cities of Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Edam, which are located in the northern part of the country.

According to experts, the found bones will be further investigated to see if there are any clues as to how this floor was used in Alkmaar.

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