Archaeologists uncover animal burials at Mattersburg site

Archaeologists excavating the former Pucher site in Mattersburg have uncovered several animal skeletons that appear to have been buried within a settlement, ORF reported.

The animals were not slaughtered, according to city and regional archaeologist Dorothea Talaa. “Animal carcasses are normally buried outside settlements for hygienic reasons,” she said. The population may not have been local but descended from migrants, Talaa added.

Remains from several periods

The excavation has uncovered settlement remains dating from the sixth millennium BC to the 20th century.

“I have been carrying out excavations for about 30 years, but I have never found anything like this in the middle of a town,” Talaa said.

University students excavate Fuchsberg

Excavations are also under way about 20 kilometres north in Müllendorf, where researchers from the University of Vienna are investigating the history of Fuchsberg hill.

The work is a training excavation for students, who are learning how to search, dig, process finds, survey and document their discoveries. Finds include pottery remains, bracelets from late antiquity, Neolithic ceramic bowls and coins.

The discoveries currently suggest that Müllendorf’s hill was used as a sacred place and a cult site.