D“incredibly rare” discoveries. As spotted by our British colleagues from the BBC, several skeletons of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Waterloo (Belgium) in 1815 were unearthed by a team of archaeologists at the beginning of July. According to the specialists engaged in this excavation, these are “extremely rare discoveries for a Napoleonic battlefield”, they indicated, Wednesday, July 13, during a press conference.
Excavations have existed for a long time on this high place of European and Napoleonic history. These had been interrupted in 2019, before resuming at the start of the year. Three years ago, archaeologists unearthed three amputated human limbs. The specialists found this time and, according to them, several human remains and skeletons of horses. “We won’t get any closer to the harsh reality of Waterloo than this,” even said one of the project’s directors.
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New excavations until Friday
According to Tony Pollard, professor at the University of Glasgow and archaeological director of the project, “Managing the casualties in this fight which made more than 10,000 was a huge challenge. There was no grand ritual or mark of respect. The unearthed grave allows us to understand that the bodies were simply placed here”. And to continue, “II’ve been a battlefield archaeologist for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like it”, proof – if one were needed – of the unprecedented nature of these discoveries.
Among the remains found are three amputated limbs, notably at the Mont-Saint-Jean farm – the seat of a field hospital. According to historians, several tens of thousands of people died during this major battle in the epic of Napoleon Ier. Other excavations must take place until Friday. Experts hope to make new discoveries.
As a reminder, the Battle of Waterloo killed nearly 10,000 people in just a few hours. The defeat of the Grande Armée will sound the death knell for the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte over France… but also over part of Europe. Four days after his failure, the French emperor will abdicate, in Paris, when the population no longer trusts him.
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