Bodies of 25 Crusaders Discovered in Lebanon

The bodies give us a unique insight into what happened during the bloody battle for the Lebanese city of Sidon.

During the Crusades – which took place between 1095 and 1291 – Western Christians moved to the Near East in an attempt to wrest from the Muslim rulers the important and holy places for Christianity. Crusaders conquered the Lebanese city of Sidon in the year 1110. But in the second half of the 13th century, their military strength weakened and they struggled to control the city. And now 25 newly discovered crusader bodies, found in two mass graves near the sea castle at Sidon, give us a unique insight into this part of history.

Knowledge

It is very special that researchers have come across 25 bodies of crusaders. Much of our knowledge of the life and death of crusaders is derived from historical texts. And while scientists have studied human remains from the Crusader period previously found in cemeteries, few mass graves have been discovered that can be linked to the warfare of the time. Now, however, the 25 skeletons found provide more insight. In addition, it sheds new light on Crusader demographics, specific weapon tactics, injuries and how they dealt with the dead at the time, the researchers describe in their studies.

Crusaders

That the skeletons found actually belonged to crusaders is evidenced by found European buckles and crusader coins that researchers found in the mass graves. Subsequently, DNA and isotope analyzes of their teeth confirmed that some soldiers were born in Europe, while others were descendants of Crusaders who migrated to the “Holy Land” and intermarried here with the locals. Using radiocarbon dating of the bones, the researchers deduced that these soldiers died in the 13th century. And that brings us to the bloody battle for the Lebanese city of Sidon.

Sidon

From historical texts written by Crusaders we know that Sidon was attacked and conquered by Mamluks in 1253, and later again in 1260 by Mongols. According to the researchers, it is quite possible that the 25 crusaders died in one of these battles. “All bodies belong to teenagers or grown men,” said study researcher Richard Mikulski. “This shows that it was soldiers who fought when Sidon was attacked.”

Injuries

All 25 bodies appear battered by the battle. They show traces of injuries, for example, inflicted by swords, clubs and arrows. “It took an enormous amount of time to puzzle so many bodies and body parts together,” said researcher Martin Smith. “But we were eventually able to study the wounds well.” Some skeletal remains have sword wounds on the back of the body, suggesting these soldiers were attacked from behind. They may have been stabbed in the back as they fled. On other bodies, investigators found sword wounds on the back of the neck. They were possibly held captive and beheaded after the battle. “The way the body parts are positioned suggests they decomposed on the surface before being dropped into a pit some time later,” Smith said. “Some bones also appear to be charred. This means that fire may have been used to burn the bodies.”

King Louis

Even the then French King Louis IX mourned the dead. We know from ancient texts that he was on a crusade in the Holy Land at the time of the attack on Sidon in 1253. “He came to this city after the battle and personally helped put the rotting corpses in mass graves,” said researcher Piers Mitchell. . And so it may well be that King Louis IX also laid to rest the 25 crusaders that have now been discovered. “Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

The Crusades ultimately cost thousands of lives. Yet it is extremely rare for scientists to come across the bodies of soldiers who died in these famous but bloody battles. The fact that 25 new skeletons from the Crusader period have now been discovered is therefore very special, according to them. “The wounds that covered their bodies allow us to better understand the horrific realities of medieval warfare,” concludes Mitchell.