Aurochs
WHS connected with "Aurochs": "An extinct species of large wild cattle that inhabited Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It is the ancestor of domestic cattle and has been suggested to be a genetic component of the modern European bison, crossbred with steppe bison. The species survived in Europe until the last recorded aurochs died in the Jaktorow Forest, Poland, in 1627" Wiki - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurochs.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch | As part of the Lauresheim experimental archaeology project (it's in the buffer zone but closely connected to the early medieval era of the Lorsch WHS) | |
| Altamira Cave | In addition to the "famous" representations in Altamira a number of the other caves within this WHS also contain representations of Aurochs - e.g El Castillo, Tito Bustillo, Toro, Altxerri and Covelenas. | |
| Białowieża Forest | After capturing the forest the Nazis instigated a scheme to populate what was intended to become a vast hunting ground for the leadership, with Aurochs. These were to be "back bred" from from existing bovine stock thought to be successors of the extinct creatures. The resultant cattle were known as "Heck Cattle" after the scientists leading the project | |
| Coa Valley and Siega Verde | Canada do Inferno, Ribiera do Piscos and Siega Verde all contain re[presentations of Aurochs | |
| Decorated cave of Pont d'Arc | ||
| Göbekli Tepe | A number of depictions of Aurochs have been discovered on the Anthropomorphic T shaped pillars (e.g - "Pillar 66 Enclosure H" and "Pillar 20 Enclosure D). An Aurochs skull with an embedded flint arrow has also been found. | |
| Hortobágy | The "Hungarian Grey" also known as "Hungarian Steppe cattle is an ancient breed of domestic beef cattle indigenous to Hungary" (Wiki). It is believed to have been developed from Aurochs (among others. A herd is maintained in Hortobagy and is involved in a project to breed "reconstructed Aurochs" | |
| Museumsinsel (Museum Island) | The "Ishtar Gate" which has been reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum shows "alternating rows of bas-relief mušḫuššu (dragons), aurochs (bulls), and lions, symbolizing the gods Marduk, Adad, and Ishtar respectively" | |
| Stonehenge | "the platform contained several hoof prints of aurochs" | |
| Tassili n'Ajjer | Images from the Large Wild Fauna Period (12,000 BP - c 6,000 BP) include aurochs. | |
| Vézère Valley | Some of the most famous prehistoric paintings at Lascaux are of Aurochs | |
| Çatalhöyük | Large caches of Aurochs horns have been excavated in the form of "Architectural Installations" - indicating religious and ritual purposes. These predate, or are on the cusp of, domestication - There is also a famous mural of an aurochs hunt (in Anatolian Museum Ankara) |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Aurochs?
A connection should:
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- Be explained, with reference to a source