Human skeleton from the Battle of Waterloo unearthed in Belgium

In Belgium, an international team of archaeologists has excavated a rare, complete human skeleton from the Battle of Waterloo. Animal skeletons have also been found at the Mont-Saint-Jean farm in Waterloo. According to the archaeologists, who announced their discovery today, it concerns ‘extremely rare finds on a Napoleonic battlefield’.

The find was made by Waterloo Uncovered, a charity that helps veterans cope with their trauma and injuries by researching the historic battlefield. Boxes of ammunition and medical devices were found near the skeleton. They also found amputated limbs.

Napoleon in Waterloo

On June 18, 1815, an estimated 20,000 soldiers were killed in the Battle of Waterloo, just south of Brussels. The Battle is etched in the history books because on this day Napoleon’s armies were defeated, after which the stocky French emperor had to give up his dream of a world empire: he found his Waterloo.

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The skeleton of the Battle of Waterloo.

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The farm where the bones were discovered served as a field hospital for the Allied troops during the fighting. They consisted of British, Dutch and Hanoverian (a German state) troops, and were led by the Duke of Wellington. In 2019, researchers from the organization already found three human legs that had been amputated. After that, the corona crisis caused a pause in the search.

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The bones of a horse from 1815.

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Respect and dignity

“I’ve been working as an archaeologist on battlefields for twenty years,” said Professor Tony Pollard, one of the project’s leaders, “but I’ve never seen this. We couldn’t get any closer to the chilly war realities of the Battle of Waterloo than this. .”

Another researcher said that all members of the team “are convinced that the skeleton should be treated with respect and dignity.”

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Images of the excavation.

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Two hundred years ago there was no time for ‘respect and dignity’, because the stories about the bodies of fallen soldiers are not pretty. Many would have been thrown on huge pyres. It is also believed that bodies were shipped to England to make fertilizer from the bones. There may also be undiscovered mass graves nearby. The charity will also conduct research into this in the coming years.

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