Almost 400 years since it began, researchers have revealed new findings about the lives and deaths of soldiers who fought in The Thirty Years’ War.
Some 9,000 soldiers were buried by townspeople in Lützen, Germany, midway through the war in 1632, and scientists have now analysed many of the remains.
Their analysis indicates that most of these soldiers were killed by gunfire – something that was very unusual for this time.
The Thirty Years’ War was fought from 1618 to 1648, and started between Catholics and Protestants within the Holy Roman Empire.
While most of the battles were fought in Germany, many touched other countries in central Europe.
And it wasn’t just battles that caused huge numbers of deaths during this time – famine and disease also devastated populations.
In 2011, archaeologists discovered a mass grave in Lutzen, and lifted the remains from the ground in a huge 55-ton block.
Now, archaeologists from the State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt have analysed the remains of 47 soldiers from the block.
The findings showed that while many of men had cut and slash marks on their bones, bladed weapons were not the cause of most of their deaths.
Courtesy Daily Mail