Ancient arrowheads uncover Europe's oldest battlefield in Germany

Recent discoveries in the Tollense Valley, northeastern Germany, have illuminated a significant conflict that took place over 3,000 years ago, marking it as Europe's oldest known battlefield.

 Previous research in the Tollense Valley in northeastern Germany has revealed evidence of a significant and violent conflict around 1250 B.C. The discovery of numerous human remains—representing over 150 individuals—suggests that more than 2,000 people were involved. Experts believe the scale of this battle was unprecedented for its time, leading many to refer to the site as "Europe's oldest known battlefield," as no earlier conflicts of such magnitude have been identified, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

However, little is known about the individuals who fought and died in the valley, leaving many questions about their identities and origins unanswered. To address these uncertainties, a study published in the journal Antiquity analyzed bronze and flint arrowheads found in the valley, comparing them with thousands of contemporary examples from across Europe. "Bows and arrows were the primary weapons in this conflict. We aimed to understand the types of arrowheads used and their origins," said Thomas Terberger, a study author from Georg August University of Göttingen in Germany.

Previous evidence had suggested that the Tollense Valley conflict might have involved participants from various regions, but the specific origins of the fighters remained unverified. "The arrowheads serve as a sort of 'smoking gun,'" said Leif Inselmann, the study's lead author, who conducted this research for his M.A. thesis at Göttingen University and is now with Freie Universität Berlin. "Similar to a murder weapon in a mystery, they provide clues about the fighters of the Tollense Valley battle and their origins." 

The analysis revealed the presence of both foreign and locally made arrowheads in the Tollense Valley. "While the flint arrowheads are a common northern style, some types of bronze arrowheads also appear in the north, others are not found in northern Germany at all," Inselmann said. "This indicates that at least some of the fighters in Tollense Valley likely came from distant regions like Bavaria or Moravia in southern Central Europe, where these styles are prevalent." These findings reinforce the notion that the conflict in Tollense Valley was interregional in nature and help pinpoint the specific origins of the foreign combatants involved. Consequently, the Tollense Valley battlefield stands as the earliest evidence of interregional conflict in Europe. 

"The discoveries from Tollense Valley attest to a significant violent conflict that occurred around 3,250 years ago, fundamentally altering our understanding of the Bronze Age in Central Europe. This period was not as peaceful as previously thought," Terberger noted. The authors suggest that this conflict should be viewed within the broader context of the significant transformation occurring at that time—the shift to what is known as Urnfield Culture in the 13th century B.C., which introduced new burial practices, symbols, and changes in material culture. 

By Naila Huseynova