Roman Horse Cemetery with Over 100 Skeletons Found in Stuttgart

“Here we see a particularly close bond between the owner and his horse.”

Construction crews in Stuttgart uncovered over 100 horse skeletons from a Roman cavalry unit stationed there between 100 and 150 AD. The Ala, as such units were called, kept around 700 horses to support nearly 500 riders. Most horses were unceremoniously buried after dying from disease or old age, but one was furnished with human grave goods including two jugs and an oil lamp. Archaeologists also found one human skeleton face down without any grave goods, likely someone denied a proper burial. Stuttgart derives from “Stuotgarten,” meaning “garden for horses.”