In Hungary, a strange 1,500-year-old burial of a lynx with four dogs was discovered
In Hungary, archaeologists discovered the burial of a lynx with four dogs at a settlement of the early Middle Ages. The find puzzled scientists, as these wild cats are rarely found during archaeological excavations.
The 5th-6th century pit, which was about 1.4 meters deep, contained a complete skeleton of a lynx at the bottom and skeletons of four dogs at the top. Possible interpretations of the unique find are a hunting accident and a lynx cult, Live Science reports.
The remains of the lynx were found in only a few dozen archaeological sites in Europe and Asia. Sometimes lynx claws are found in human graves, sometimes skins are found, but whole skeletons are rare.
The animal pit was found at the Zamárdi-Kútvölgyi-dűlő site in west-central Hungary, an area known as Pannonia under Roman rule. The last phase of settlement of this place dates back to the early Middle Ages.
It's possible the burial is the end result of a deadly confrontation in which the dogs could have been killed by a cornered lynx, researchers say. Or perhaps it was a purposeful burial of animals with ritual significance.
We will remind, more than 140 medieval graves of "executed criminals" were found in Northern Ireland.
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