While preparing to build a housing complex in Stuttgart, archaeologists stumbled upon an ancient horse cemetery that was used by a Roman cavalry unit stationed nearby in the 2nd century AD.
ancient Rome ./p h2>Ancient Roman horse cemetery discovered in Stuttgart, Germany/h2 pAccording to a press release from the Stuttgart State Monument Protection Office (LAD) , excavations at the site began in July 2024 in advance of the construction of a new housing project. The excavations confirmed what people had suspected for a century: the site was once used as an animal disposal site./p div id=”attachment_539551″ class=”wp-caption alignnone”img decoding=”async” aria-describedby=”caption-attachment-539551″ src=”https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/location-of-roman-horse-cemetery.jpeg” alt=”Roman Horse Cemetery in Germany” width=”900″ height=”506″ class=”size-full wp-image-539551 post-img-landscape” https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/location-of-roman-horse-cemetery-300×169.jpeg 300w, https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/location-of-roman-horse-cemetery-768×432.jpeg 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px” />
State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in the Regional Council of Stuttgart/ArchaeoBWIn 1920, horse remains were discovered on the site, and excavations carried out a century later confirmed that the ancient Romans used the site to bury animals.
In particular, the site was used to dispose of the horses of the Roman cavalry. The dump is located near a cavalry fort where a unit known as an “Ala” was stationed between 100 and 150 AD, about 300 years before the fall of Rome.
“A force of nearly 500 horsemen likely had a total horse population of at least 700 animals, and losses had to be replaced constantly,” LAD lead archaeologist Sarah Roth explained in a press release. “It appears that not all of the horses died at the same time in a major event, such as a battle or epidemic. Rather, the animals buried here likely either died of disease, injury… or were no longer able to perform their role as war horses.”
Most burials were unceremonious. Horses that died naturally were disposed of without delay. Horses that could still move were taken to a cemetery, where they were killed on the spot and hastily buried.
Sourse: www.allthatsinteresting.com
