Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

An ancient battle in Germany caused a lot of casualties, but we know little about it

We know almost nothing about what happened, but archeologists have found lots of skeletons, some showing signs of blunt force trauma or arrows in the head.

1024px-Tollense-01
1024px-Tollense-01

 

 

We know almost nothing about what happened, but archeologists have found lots of skeletons, some showing signs of blunt force trauma or arrows in the head. Their conclusion is that these were not amateur farmers, that they were well-armed pros. More than a quarter of the bodies examined show signs of healed traumas from previous fights. An initial estimate is that 4,000 warriors were involved in the fight. It may have been the biggest battle of its era, and perhaps the biggest battle up to that point in Europe. It seems to have taken place perhaps 100 years before the fall of Troy. The site is a meandering river valley about 75 miles north of Berlin.

Plus, here is some nature to enjoy. You’re welcome. Do you know how much weeding this took?

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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