A Historic Vulture Hoard
Archaeologists found valuable medieval artifacts in an unlikely place—vultures’ nests.
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A bearded vulture holds a stick while building a nest.
When you picture an archaeologist at work, you might think of someone digging through buried, ancient buildings. But what about sifting through vultures’ nests? Archaeologists in Spain have done just that, finding hundreds of years’ worth of archaeological treasures stashed in the cliffside nests of bearded vultures.
Bearded vultures like to reuse nests each year, so generations of vultures will use the same nests and slowly add layers over time. The species is locally extinct in southern Spain, allowing archeologists to look for interesting objects in the area’s preserved—but uninhabited—nests, which are tucked into cliffside caves.
To reach the nests, the scientists had to rappel down a cliff using ropes and harnesses. Treating the 12 nests as they would any other archeological site, the scientists carefully dug through each layer. Their work revealed hundreds of years’ worth of the birds’ history and the history of Spain itself.
© Sergio Couto (A, B, D, and F) and © Lucía Agudo Pérez (C and E)
These materials were found in old vultures’ nests. They include (A) part of a slingshot, (B) parts of a crossbow, (C) a sandal made of grass and twigs, (D) a piece of a basket, (E) a piece of sheep leather, and (F) a piece of fabric.
Among the nests’ many animal bones and eggshells were human-made historical artifacts, including a slingshot, a crossbow bolt, leather items, pieces of fabric, and some tools. One of the most exciting findings was a sandal made of woven grass. The shoe is estimated to be between 650 and 750 years old, which means it was worn by someone in the medieval period, possibly around the time when the Black Plague was spreading through Europe.
It remains a mystery why the bearded vultures picked up human-made materials. Some experts think the birds grab things they find interesting or that they want some nest decoration. Whatever the purpose, the outcome means more buried treasures in unexpected places.
© Angel Enrique Garcia Colmena—iStock/Getty Images
A bearded vulture comes in for a landing.
