On the oldest battlefield in Europe, archaeologists have unearthed new clues about who took part in the battle that took place 3,250 years ago.
Two huge armies met at the river crossing. Thousands of warriors met in a bloody battle that lasted, most likely, one day. They fought fiercely using the most modern weapons of the time, made of wood, stone and bronze.
Since the 1980s, residents of a valley near the Tollensee River in northeastern Germany have found ancient daggers, knives, and other weapons in the fields. Bones were also found among the metal - several skulls. In 1996, an amateur archaeologist found a humerus with a flint arrowhead stuck in it.
Only since 2007 have archaeologists systematized the work on this site. Over the past decade, traces of a major battle have been found, called the Battle of the Tollense River Valley. According to the analysis of the finds, the battle took place in the Bronze Age, and was attended by men between the ages of 20 and 40, Live Science reports.
Archaeologists lacked evidence of large-scale battles in the Bronze Age. Despite the evidence scattered before them, it was impossible to understand who had arranged the slaughter.
As Thomas Terberger, head of the archaeological team, notes, at least 2,000 people participated in the ancient battle - this goes far beyond a local conflict.
Scientists have conducted chemical analysis of human remains, trying to find strontium, which helps determine the "geographical signature". For example, people who have lived most of their lives in Scandinavia will have a different geographic signature from those in Spain.
The results showed that the Bronze Age battle in northeastern Germany involved a large and varied group of mercenary warriors who had come to the battle from elsewhere. So far, it has not been possible to establish a complete map of the "newcomers", but the first indications are available: some of the warriors were from southern Germany and Central Europe.
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“If our hypothesis that all the finds belong to the same event is correct, then we are dealing with a conflict in the territories north of the Alps, which is still completely unknown to us,” said Terberger.
“This is now the oldest evidence of a battle in history. There is no doubt that Tollenze is something special. When it came to the Bronze Age, we always lacked places where there is a battlefield, and bodies and weapons - all together. It's like finding a still smoking pistol,”the scientist added.
Another mystery is why the armies met in this very place. In 2013, geomagnetic surveys helped find evidence of a 120-meter structure, bridge or dam that crossed the valley. Excavations have revealed a structure of wooden posts and stone. Probably, the dam was continuously used for many centuries, and on some day one group of people tried to cross it, and another threw them back. A conflict broke out, which escalated into a fierce battle.
The scale of the battle indicates the vast presence of a class of warriors skilled in weapons. The events of those times may be the first evidence of a turning point in the organization of society and the conduct of hostilities in Europe.
Archaeologists will continue to search for answers. Terberger notes that the Tollensee River ran through the north-south trade route, and jewelry and other valuable artifacts were found in the valley "in great concentration".
Elena Yakovleva