Intact Ottoman 'war camel' {skeleton} found in Austrian cellar (BBC)

By Jonathan Webb
Science reporter, BBC News

A complete camel skeleton dug up from a 17th-century Austrian cellar shows tell-tale signs that it was a valuable riding animal in the Ottoman army.

It was probably left behind or traded in the town of Tulln following the Ottoman siege of nearby Vienna in 1683.

DNA analysis shows that the beast - the first intact camel skeleton found in central Europe - was a Bactrian-dromedary hybrid, popular in the army.

It also has bone defects that suggest it wore a harness and was ridden.

The find is reported in the journal PLOS One and emerged from an archaeological dig that took place amid preparations for a new shopping centre in the town.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32145248
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0121235