In Spain, a sacrificial pit with the bones of 52 animals was unearthed. PHOTO

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A pit with 770 bones of 52 different animals was discovered at the site of a large building in Casas del Turunuelo, located in the province of Badajoz in southwestern Spain.

The mysterious burial was probably at the site of a ritual animal sacrifice in the 5th century BC, the results of this study are published in the journal PLOS ONE, writes IFL Science.

The researchers found that the bones belonged to at least 41 horses, 6 cattle, 4 pigs and a dog.

Sacrificed animals were deliberately buried under a mound with a diameter of 90 meters and a height of 6 meters.

Some animals were buried in pairs

The evidence collected by the researchers indicates that the animals were buried in three successive stages over several years.

The skeletons in the last stage looked as if the animals had been dismembered to be eaten.

The bones belong to at least 41 horses, 6 cattle, 4 pigs and a dog

According to the authors of the study, this may indicate that the ritual sacrifice turned into a feast.

It was found that the buried animals were mostly adults and healthy, so it is unlikely that they died due to an outbreak of disease or a natural disaster.

In addition, some animals, especially horses, were buried in pairs.

“This arrangement of pairs of horses indicates that they were sacrificed at the same time. They were used for riding and perhaps for pulling carts, that is, for work.” – note the authors of the study.

An important point was the charred remains of plants at the burial site, which once again confirmed the researchers’ version of the sacrifice.

Read also: “Archaeologists in Peru unearthed 1,000-year-old mummies of children”

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