politics
Meet the only known trebuchet casualty in history
“It highlights the brutality of medieval warfare,” said paleopathologist Jo Buckberry.
TL;DR
- Skeleton 150, found at Stirling Castle, is the only known individual in history to have died from a trebuchet projectile impact.
- Forensic analysis, including X-rays and micro-CT scans, indicates a single, massive impact that shattered the skeleton's upper body.
- The injuries are consistent with being struck by a large boulder launched at speeds of 200-300 km/h by a trebuchet.
- Skeleton 150 was likely a Scottish defender during the 1304 siege of Stirling Castle by Edward I of England.
- While trebuchets were primarily siege engines for fortifications, this case illustrates the indiscriminate danger they posed to individuals.
- Other violent deaths were also found among the remains beneath the chapel, dating to the Scottish Wars of Independence.