Archaelogists discover skeleton from Battle of Waterloo — with musket ball still lodged in its ribs
The only complete skeleton from the Battle of Waterloo found in the last 200 years was discovered under a parking lot, and that's not even the most interesting thing about it.
The skeleton belongs to a Hanoverian man with a hunchback, the archaeologists announced. The find is truly unique, though, because the musket ball that killed the man was still stuck in the skeleton's ribs. The skeleton was first discovered in 2012, but archaeologists have just now revealed the details and significance of the find.
One historian, Gareth Glover, believes he knows exactly who the skeleton belongs to: Friedrich Brandt, a 23-year-old private in the King's German Legion of George III. Brandt was killed by a musket ball, The Independent reports. The skeleton was found with a piece of wood with the initials "F. C. B.," lending credence to Glover's suggestion. Only three German soldiers bore those initials, and one was on a different battlefield than where the skeleton was discovered.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The find is also unique because the skeleton is still intact — Glover told The Independent that most Napoleonic-era soldiers' remains were ground into fertilizer in the 1830s and 1840s.
-
Sepsis ‘breakthrough’: the world’s first targeted treatment?The Explainer New drug could reverse effects of sepsis, rather than trying to treat infection with antibiotics
-
James Van Der Beek obituary: fresh-faced Dawson’s Creek starIn The Spotlight Van Der Beek fronted one of the most successful teen dramas of the 90s – but his Dawson fame proved a double-edged sword
-
Is Andrew’s arrest the end for the monarchy?Today's Big Question The King has distanced the Royal Family from his disgraced brother but a ‘fit of revolutionary disgust’ could still wipe them out
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
