Archaeology & History

Mysterious animal bones found at site of Edinburgh hillside wildfire

By T.K. Randall
November 15, 2025

Image: The City of Edinburgh
Credit: Mike McBey / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) When the historic hillside went up in flames back in the summer, something unusual was uncovered - a cache of bones belonging to a range of species including cattle, horses, sheep, goats and cats.

It didn't take long to determine that these definitely didn't get there through natural processes.

What's more, the bones are thought to date back as far as the 16th Century.

According to Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the bones were found within the vicinity of a prehistoric hillfort that once enclosed the nearby summit of Crow Hill and Arthur's Seat."The remains do not seem to have been part of a wider feature and are thought to be post-medieval or modern in date, however the number and variety of bones make it an unusual - and potentially significant - discovery," an agency spokesperson stated.

"AOC Archaeology, HES's archaeological call-off contractor, carefully removed the remains and they are now being analyzed by specialists."

"Samples will be submitted for radiocarbon dating which will tell us more about the age of the bones and why they may have been deposited there."

The area itself has been settled by humans for over 7,000 years.

Source: BBC News

Tags: Edinburgh, Bones