A UK-led archaeological dig has uncovered new human bones at the site of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium.
Historians estimate that on June 18, 1815 at Waterloo, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Brussels, more than 20,000 soldiers were killed when mainly Anglo-Dutch allied troops under the command of the Duke of Wellington defeated French battalions led by Napoleon Bonaparte defeated.
It was one of the worst armed conflicts in history and shattered Napoleon’s dreams of great empire. Tens of thousands of soldiers were also wounded.
The discovery of new bones was made last week around the Mont St Jean farm, where Wellington was then building the main Allied field hospital.
“We have what appears to be a complete human skeleton, and next to it is another amputated leg,” said Tony Pollard, a professor at the University of Glasgow and one of the mission’s leaders.
“We don’t know if that person was killed in a battle and the body was brought here… or if it was a patient who died in the hospital,” he said.
“Such a very old deposit is incredibly rare on Napoleonic battlefields. We have been working here since 2015 and this is the first time we have come across a great pit.
“Only one complete skeleton was excavated from the battlefield and that was when they were building the museum,” added the British archaeologist.
The excavation project, which involves archaeologists, students, military personnel and veterans, was launched in 2015 to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle.
In 2019, they discovered the remains of three amputated legs there. The excavation was then halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Eva Collignon, a Belgian archaeologist, said the newly discovered bones were probably collected “in a hurry” in a ditch near the field hospital because of the high casualty toll.
#Bones #excavated #centuries #Battle #Waterloo
