The Wulfsen horse burial is an early medieval horse burial, consisting of three horses, that was discovered in 1974 in a Saxon grave field in the village of Wulfsen, in the German district of Harburg. The find was rescued as a varnish profile, which is on display in the permanent exhibition of the Archaeological Museum Hamburg in Harburg, Hamburg.
The horse grave of Wulfsen shown in situ
Presentation of the burial site model in the permanent collection. Shown in 2008.
The excavation of the Wulfsen horse burial as a LEGO miniature
Horse burial is the practice of burying a horse as part of the ritual of human burial, and is found among many Indo-European speaking peoples and others, including Chinese and Turkic peoples. The act indicates the high value placed on horses in the particular cultures and provides evidence of the migration of peoples with a horse culture. Human burials that contain other livestock are rare; in Britain, for example, 31 horse burials have been discovered but only one cow burial, unique in Europe. This process of horse burial is part of a wider tradition of horse sacrifice. An associated ritual is that of chariot burial, in which an entire chariot, with or without a horse, is buried with a dead person.
Mass horse burial for Duke Jing of Qi (reigned 547–490 BCE) of Spring and Autumn period China
Sketch plan of the kurgan burial at Kostromskaya in southern Russia
The Wulfsen horse burial shown in situ
Remains of the horse burial in Mound 17, Sutton Hoo