Iron Age discovery: 3,000-year-old horse jaw found in the Danube

Unique find in the Danube River

The Regional Historical Museum in Ruse has acquired a valuable artifact – a lower right jawbone of a horse, dating back about 3,000 years. The find, classified as a subfossil, is in the initial stage of fossilization due to the relatively short period spent underground.

The find was discovered in the Danube River near the Maritime Administration building in Ruse by Kamen Ivanov, an employee at the institution.

The role of artificial intelligence

An interesting fact is that the discoverers initially consulted artificial intelligence to identify the object. The AI directed their attention to the possibility that the bone could be from a bison or an aurochs. This motivated them to seek a professional opinion from the Ruse Regional Historical Museum.

Connection to the Thracians and Sexaginta Prista

Experts from the museum date the find to the beginning of the Iron Age, when the lands were inhabited by the Getae and Thracians. The historians' hypothesis is that:

• The find may be connected to a Thracian sanctuary located on the hill above today's Maritime Administration.
• The bone was likely carried down to the river due to natural changes in the structure of the hill where the ancient fortress of Sexaginta Prista is located.