Archaeologists from the University of Groningen (UG) have discovered a complete calf skeleton buried near the Ter Apel monastery, in the eastern part of the province of Groningen.
The find may indicate the site of a 17th-century sacrificial offering, although this remains uncertain.
A team of more than forty students and volunteers, led by associate professor of Late Prehistory Stijn Arnoldussen, discovered the skeleton beneath the rubble of a collapsed cellar on the eastern side of the monastery. During the excavation, the archaeologists noticed a discoloration in the soil, which led to the find.
Unusually Deep
‘It was a young calf, six to eight months old, buried at a depth of two meters — which is quite remarkable because that’s fairly deep’, says Arnoldussen. As it was covered by a 17th-century refuse layer, it may date to that period. ‘But it could also be older.’
‘Our initial assumption would typically be that it was a sick animal, no longer suitable for human consumption’, he explains. ‘But this calf was buried just ten meters from the front entrance of the monastery complex, which doesn’t make sense. If you’re disposing of a diseased carcass, you wouldn’t bury it that close.’
A possible sacrifice
Another explanation is that the animal was sacrificed — a medieval practice in which animals or objects were buried beneath foundations for protection or blessings.
‘We know such offerings did occur on monastic grounds, although rarely’, he says. According to Arnoldussen, the Catholic Church was less strict than commonly believed. ‘There was actually a considerable degree of freedom in personal religious expression.’
Symbolic meaning
The burial might also have had a different, symbolic meaning. ‘Often, when people left a place, they would leave behind a kind of symbolic offering.’ This, too, is a form of ritual — and according to Arnoldussen, the most likely explanation in this case.
‘It’s located very close to the wall of a demolished section of the monastery. So, when that part was torn down, people might have offered the calf as a ritual gesture.’
Ultimately, only radiocarbon dating can provide certainty, he notes. ‘And that will take at least another six months.’