Death in the Tollense River Valley

Dear history enthusiasts and sword fighters,

Last week we looked back to the Paleolithic, a time before swords were even invented. Today we will turn our attention to the oldest archaeologically confirmed large-scale armed confrontation when bronze swords were already in use.

If ever you wondered why Bronze Age swords have conspicuously short hilts, and how they could possibly be gripped and held efficiently, you might like to take a look at a blog post of mine which I link to below.

I hope you will find it interesting and useful.

Europe's Oldest Battlefield?

In recent years, archaeology has uncovered evidence of prehistoric and early historical acts of violence and combat, with the discovery of Europe's oldest battlefield certainly being the most spectacular. About 3300 years ago, a bloody event took place in the tranquil Tollense Valley in eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Here, where a long-distance trade route crossed the river during the Bronze Age, more than 12,000 skeletal remains have been recovered so far, telling the story of an armed conflict that possibly involved thousands of people. Whether the more than 140 individuals whose remains have been secured along the river fell in a battle between two armies or were the victims of a large-scale attack on a trade caravan is still the subject of discussion. However, individual finds and the trauma evident on the bones provide unequivocal testimony to the deadly use of an entire arsenal of weapons.

Flint and bronze arrowheads were found embedded in shoulders, backs, and skulls. Heads were smashed with long clubs and hammer-like maces, and a femur was broken by a spear thrust. A newly developed weapon of the Bronze Age was also used in the Tollense Valley: the sword.

Alas, but a single bronze sword was recovered downstream, along with two sickles, a bracelet, and a piece of jewellery. Whether these are remnants of the conflict or a hoard deposition is uncertain. The weapon is a fully intact vollgriffschwert (full-hilt sword) of the Riegsee type.

The use of swords and other Bronze Age weapons has long been a subject of research, and great progress has been made in recent years. However, a convincing method of handling the conspicuously short Early Bronze Age sword hilts which end in rather squat pommel plates has not yet been presented. It must have existed, though, as the design persisted for centuries. Read about my according ideas in this public post:

So, that's it for today. Take care, and keep your blade well-honed.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please recommend it to your friends. They can sign up here or on my website. Or simply forward them this email.

To learn to fight, consult our sword & buckler online course.

If you wish to read more, find hundreds of related posts on my Patreon. Special thanks to all my loyal supporters on Patreon – you keep me going! And if you are not a patron yet, you are most welcome to join.

If you feel like dropping a coin into my tip jar, you can do so here. Thank you for your time and your interest.

Yours,

Roland

You are receiving this newsletter because you have signed up for it, or because you have previously expressed your interest in my work and events. If you prefer to not receive further emails, you can unsubscribe below.