Göttingen University-Led Research Team Uncovers Evidence of Southern Warriors’ Travels

In the Tollense valley in Northern Germany, researchers have been investigating the remains of Europe’s oldest battlefield since 2008. At various sites along the river, they have discovered human skeletal remains of around 150 individuals – mainly young men – and remains of weapons from the Bronze Age. These remain point to a violent conflict involving hundreds of fighters in the period around 1250 BC. The origin of those involved has been the subject of much debate ever since the remains were first discovered. Now a team of researchers from the University of Göttingen has analyzed the bronze arrowheads found in the valley and uncovered important information about the likely origin of the fighters. The results were published in the journal Antiquity .

Until a few years ago, the Bronze Age was regarded as a peaceful era in which Europe was connected across regions through trade in copper and tin. The discoveries in the Tollense valley have changed this view significantly. At first, an unusually large number of human skeletal remains were reported from the river valley. Gradually, remains of over 150 people were uncovered in the river and the neighboring bank areas in a section of the river over 2.5 kilometers long. At the main site alone, known as ‘Weltzin 20’, the bones of over 90 individuals were uncovered, showing repeated injuries from weapons. Among the remains, the researchers also discovered ten arrowheads made of bronze and flint. In addition to the bones and numerous bronze artifacts, there are a total of around 64 arrowheads from the river section, 54 of these were made of bronze. No other site in northern Germany has revealed so many bronze arrowheads – there is no doubt that bows and arrows were a significant weapon in the conflict there.

Comparisons with around 4,700 arrowheads from all over Central Europe had another interesting story to tell: “We identified that some arrowhead types, especially those with barbs, come mainly from an area between present-day Bavaria and Moravia in the Czech Republic,” says first author Leif Inselmann, who researched the arrowheads as part of his master’s thesis at Göttingen University’s Prehistory and Early History department. “This shows that some of the warriors clearly came from southern Central Europe.”

Professor Lorenz Rahmstorf adds: “These arrowhead types are not found in the region’s graves, which indicates that the arrowheads were not simply imported from the South, but that warriors from the South actually brought them with them to fight in battle.”

“These new findings support the earlier assumption that indigenous fighters and forces from the South clashed in the Tollense valley,” says Professor Thomas Terberger, Göttingen University, who initiated the study. This means that this is the earliest evidence of warfare across regions in Central Europe.