Archaeologists recently announced the discovery of more than 100 buried horses returning to ancient Rome, but no skeletons were found in Italy.
The excavation was conducted in Bad Canstat, an autonomous borough in southwestern Germany.
The statement, translated from German to English, noted that the town was one of the “most important Roman military locations” in the region of ancient times. The cavalry there boasted about 700 horses at its peak.
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Photos on the site show the skeleton of horses buried in the soil as the excavators worked to clear them.
According to LAD, the excavation began last July.
Archaeologists have discovered 100 horse skeletons at a German site. Scientists believe that rather than dying in a single battle, the horse was brought there over time. (Stuttgart Regional Council/State Office for the Preservation of the Monument of Archaeobw)
Experts say the bodies date back to the second century and are less than 2,000 years from the second century
“The first horse bones discovered were dated in the second century using radiocarbon methods,” said Sarah Roth, an archaeologist at LAD.
“Based on the archaeological and historical knowledge of the Bad Canstrut in Rome, horses can belong to cavalry units (so-called “aras”).
She also said, “A army of nearly 500 riders has a total horse stock of at least 700 animals, and the loss requires a certain exchange.”
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The horse was buried about a quarter mile from the Cavalry Fort and an eighth mile a mile away from the private residence.
“The bodies were usually individually dragged into shallow holes, where they were buried lying on their sides with legs stretched and bent,” Lad explained in a statement.
“The site was likely marked on the ground. Despite the occasional dense arrangement, there was little overlap in pits.”
The horse remains discovered by archaeologists. (Stuttgart Regional Council/Archaeobw Monument Preservation Bureau)
Ross added that the horse did not appear to die during one event, including fighting.
Rather, the animal may have probably been ill or injured when buried, or otherwise unsuitable for military service.
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“If the horse could still walk, it would have been brought to the horse’s cemetery and killed at the scene to avoid transporting heavy bodies,” she said.
Archaeologists believe the cemetery site is more extensive than the construction site itself, but its exact size is unknown.
There have been several ancient Roman tomb discoveries over the past year.
Interestingly, some horses were buried along with the items, perhaps as tokens for their journey into the afterlife.
One animal was found with two jugs and a small oil lamp, and the item was “placed by the arm con man like a farewell.”
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“Here we see a particularly close bond between the owner and his horse,” Ross said. “Even after about 1800 years, the sadness of this one animal’s death is still clear.”
There have been several ancient Roman tomb discoveries over the past year.
The excavation took place in Bad Cantotat, a district in southwestern Germany. (Stuttgart Regional Council/Archaeobw Monument Preservation Bureau)
In Vienna, Austria, archaeologists recently discovered mass graves under a football field, containing remains of Roman soldiers and Germanic tribes.
Earlier this year, a very well preserved dog was discovered on an ancient Roman site in Belgium, highlighting the prevalence of ancient animal sacrifice.
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Ashlyn Messier of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
