The Battle of the Tollense Valley took place in Bronze Age Germany c.1250 BC.
This is the earliest battle that we have good evidence for in Europe.
Archeological discoveries in the Tollense Valley in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Northeast Germany suggest this was the site of a conflict in the 13th century BC. (The most accurate dates suggest it might be around 1230 – 1240 BC)
This was the European Middle Bronze Age.
As well as weapons and other artefacts, thousands of bones representing at least 140 individuals have been found here and most are men of fighting age.
Some bones show injuries received at the point of death. There might have been between 3000 and 7000 participants which if true is a truly enormous prehistoric battle.
So was this a great pitched battle? An ambush? A series of small skirmishes?
Despite all the evidence, piecing together exactly who these people were, how many there were, where they came from and what happened here is not so simple.
I also wrote an article on this site about the Tollense Valley in 2020 so please do read that post if you don’t want to watch the really quite excellent video.
There is also an exclusive Patreon post accessible only by my patrons discussing some interesting aspects of the DNA evidence.
— Video Sources —
Warriors and Weapons in Bronze Age Europe – Anthony Harding ➜ https://amzn.to/383sToE
Warfare in Bronze Age Society – Christian Horn & Kristian Kristiansen ➜ https://amzn.to/3z6ZtBN
Die Welt der Himmelsscheibe von Nebra – Harald Meller ➜ https://amzn.to/3ERYbh7
An early Bronze Age causeway in the Tollense Valley – Jantzen (2014)
Bronze Age tin rings from the Tollense valley – Krüger (2012)
Low Prevalence of Lactase Persistence in Bronze Age Europe – Burger (2020)
Flint arrowhead embedded in a human humerus from the Bronze Age site in the Tollense valley – Flohr (2015)
Instrumental investigation of oxygen isotopes in human dental enamel from the Bronze Age battlefield site at Tollense – Price (2019)
Perimortem Lesions on Human Bones from the Bronze Age Battlefield in the Tollense – Brinker (2018)
A Bronze Age battlefield? Weapons and trauma in the Tollense Valley – Jantzen (2010)
Tollense Battle Ancient DNA, they had hunter gatherer roots by Genos Historia ➜ https://youtu.be/8Grj-Gg5iLo