Europe's most ancient battlefield - Tollense Valley

The Gross Raden Archaeological Open Air Museum is presenting an exhibition featuring artifacts, many of them found on the site of a battle which took place in the Tollense Valley, in the northeast of Germany.

The discovery of the battlefield in the Tollense Valley provides much to consider.

Since 2007, over 10,000 human bones have been found. A series of bronze weapons, such as lances, arrowheads and knives were found. A few wooden clubs which were used for battle as well as the remains of horses have been found.

The violence wasn't random. The Tollense battle demonstrates a clearly organized form of violence. It was required to be able to assemble such a large group of young men and issue orders. It demonstrates that power was conditional for such a large, violent conflict.

This man did not see death coming his way 3300 years ago. A bronze arrow tip pierced the back of his head. The bronze arrow tip is still stuck in the skull.

The warriors were exclusively men, mostly between the ages of 20 and 25. The bodies on the battle site that were accessible were looted. They had no metal left on them – although they must have been wearing metal, since bronze was part of men's dress during the period. The remains of those who fell in the river are different, as metal objects have been found on them. Less than 10% of the site has been excavated.