Researchers are assembling a more complete picture of the fighters who engaged in combat 3,250 years ago on Europe’s oldest known battlefield according to a recent examination of dozens of arrowheads.
The arrowheads made of bronze and flint were found in northeastern Germany’s Tollense Valley. When a novice archaeologist noticed a bone protruding from the bank of the Tollense River in 1996, researchers discovered the site for the first time.
Since then, digs have uncovered 12,500 bones and 300 metal artifacts that belonged to roughly 150 fighters who lost their lives at the location in 1250 BC. Swords, wooden clubs, and a variety of arrowheads, some of which were discovered still embedded in the fallen, have all been recovered as weapons.
Researchers who have investigated the area since 2007 believe that Tollense Valley is the site of Europe’s oldest battle since no direct evidence of a previous conflict of this magnitude has ever been found.
Some information about the men has been gleaned from studies of their bones: they were all young, robust, and physically fit warriors, some of whom had healed wounds from earlier engagements. However, scholars have never been able to determine exactly who was involved in the deadly struggle or why they battled in such a brutal manner.
Since there are no written records of the fight, archaeologists have utilized the weaponry and well-preserved remains they have found from the valley to piece together the history of the ancient combat site.
indications of an incursion
Analysis of the remains and earlier finds of foreign items, including a sword and a Bohemian bronze ax from southeast Central Europe, have shown that foreigners participated in the fight of Tollense Valley. However, the current study’s researchers were interested in learning what information the arrowheads might reveal.
Upon examining the arrowheads, Inselmann and his associates discovered that no two were alike, which was not particularly startling prior to the era of mass manufacturing. However, the archaeologists were able to identify distinct variations in the morphologies and characteristics that indicated some of the arrowheads were not manufactured in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the northeast German state that contains the Tollense Valley.
In order to compare the more than 4,700 Bronze Age arrowheads from Central Europe that Inselmann gathered information on, he mapped out their origins and gathered literature on the subject.
The investigation found that many of the arrowheads were similar in style to those found at other sites in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, indicating that they were produced locally and carried by males who lived in the area.
Inselmann did note that some arrowheads, however, matched those from a southern region that covers modern-day Bavaria and Moravia. These arrowheads had straight or rhombus-shaped bases, as well as side spurs and barbs.
Inselmann stated in an email that “this shows that at least a part of the combatants or even a complete battle faction active in Tollense Valley derive from a very distant place.”
Inselmann and his colleagues suspect it unlikely that the arrowheads were smuggled from another location to be used by local combatants. If not, they would anticipate discovering proof of Bronze Age ritual graves in the area that contained arrowheads.
the beginning of a conflict
According to research coauthor Thomas Terberger, a causeway that across the Tollense River and was built roughly 500 yeaInselmann stated in an email that “this shows that at least a part of the combatants or even a complete battle faction active in Tollense Valley derive from a very distant place.”
rs prior to the fight is assumed to have served as the catalyst for the conflict.
Since 2007, Terberger, a professor at the University of Göttingen in Germany’s prehistoric and historical archaeology department, has been researching the site, which is a 1.8-mile (3-kilometer) section of the river.
He stated, “It seems likely that the causeway was a component of a major commerce route.” “Managing this bottleneck issue might have played a significant role in the dispute.”
However, Barry Molloy, an associate professor in University College Dublin’s school of archaeology, noted that the likelihood of the trade route argument is diminished by the lack of conclusive evidence in the area of wealth sources, such as metal mines or locations for salt extraction. Molloy did not participate in the research.
