Archaeologists from Aarhus University (Denmark) have found 2,095 bones in the Alken-Enge wetlands in the Illerup River valley. The remains belonged to people who lived in the 1st century AD and were killed during a fierce battle between the ancient Germans and an unknown enemy. This is reported by Science Alert.
Experts unearthed bones in lacustrine and peat deposits in 2009-2014 on an area of about 75 hectares. The remains were attributed to at least 82 soldiers, however, according to scientists, there were 380 people in the army. This exceeded the population of any village in the region, so the fighting groups were likely to include young people from different settlements.
Scientists have identified traces of deadly injuries on the bones, which were probably caused by the battle. The version of the battle is also supported by the results of radiocarbon dating, which showed that people died almost simultaneously. The remains of weapons were also found - swords, spears, shields and knives.