The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon’s defeat. 200 years later, archaeologists have found the skeleton of one of the soldiers killed during the battle.
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Over 20,000 were killed at the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.
The battle between France under Napoléon Bonaparte and British-led coalition forces as well as Prussian forces was Napoleon’s final defeat.
He was subsequently sent into exile on the island of Saint Helena, and Louis XVIII was reinstated on the French throne.
In the years since the battle, very few of the dead soldiers have been found.
Over 200 years later, a group of archaeologists, war veterans and students have found a complete skeleton of one of the soldiers killed during the battle.
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– I have been a battlefield archaeologist for 20 years and have never seen anything like this. We don’t get any closer to the harsh reality of Waterloo than this, says Professor Tony Pollard in one press release.
He is employed at the University of Glasgow and leads the excavation.
The team has been digging in Waterloo since 2015, but has had a break during the pandemic.
In addition to finding the skeleton, they have also found the skeleton of a horse, boxes of ammunition, medical waste and skeletal remains from both arms and legs.
–– Finding human remains can trigger a range of strong emotions, from joy at the find to an understandable sadness, since this is probably a soldier, says Rod Eldridge, war veteran and one of the project’s leaders.
It is believed that many of the dead from the Battle of Waterloo were placed in mass graves or sent to Britain as human manure.
Historians also believe that many were placed in mass graves that have yet to be discovered.
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