It was one of the biggest and most brutal battles in the Bronze Age.

Now archaeologists have shed new light on the mysterious people who fought in the Tollense Valley 3,250 years ago.

A study of the skeletons at the site in north-eastern Germany suggests that more than 2,000 people were involved in the on battle.

And while experts are yet to pinpoint exactly where the fighters were from, a DNA analysis suggests that it was a large, diverse group of non-local warriors.

The reason for the war on Europe's oldest battlefield remains unknown.

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It was one of the biggest and most brutal battles fought in the Bronze Age, and now archaeologists have shed new light on the people who fought in the Tollense Valley 3,250 years ago

WHO WERE THE FIGHTERS? While 140 skeletons have been found, Professor Terberger said that this is likely only a fraction of the men involved. He estimates that more than 2,000 people were involved in the battle. To understand more about the fighters, the researchers conducted a chemical analysis of the skeletons, looking for elements like strontium, which can leave a geographically specific signature in bones. While the results showed that the fighters were a large, diverse group of non-locals, the archaeologists were unable to pinpoint specifically where they were from. The analysis did suggest that many of the fighters came from the south – either southern Germany or Central Europe – a find that was in line with many pieces of evidence found at the site, including Central-European arrowheads and pins. Advertisement

Since the 1980s, several pieces of evidence of a battle have been found in river sediment at the site, including daggers, knives and skulls.

In 1996, an amateur archaeologist found a single upper arm bone sticking out of the steep riverbank with a flint arrowhead embedded in one end of the bone.

A systematic exploration of the site began in 2007, after archaeologists unearthed an enormous battlefield, as well as 140 skeletons and remains of military equipment.

These included wooden clubs, bronze spearheads, and flint and bronze arrowheads.

Now, archaeologists from the Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage have analysed the remains to learn more about the people who fought in the battle.

Accoridng to Science, in the Bronze Age, Northern Europe was long dismissed as a backwater, overshadowed by more sophisticated civilizations in the Near East and Greece.

They believe the battle was of a scale up until then, completely unknown north of the Alps.

It suggests more organisation and violence in the area than once thought.

Speaking to Live Science, Professor Thomas Terberger, one of the archaeologists working on the excavation, said: 'We are very confident that the human remains are more or less lying in the position where they died.'

While 140 skeletons have been found, Professor Terberger said that this is likely only a fraction of the men involved.

He estimates that more than 2,000 people were involved in the battle.

He said: 'This is beyond the local scale of a conflict,' suggesting that the battle went beyond neighbours.

To understand more about the fighters, the researchers conducted a chemical analysis of the skeletons, looking for elements like strontium, which can leave a geographically specific signature in bones.

While the results showed that the fighters were a large, diverse group of non-locals, the archaeologists were unable to pinpoint specifically where they were from.

An analysis of the skeletons at the site in north-eastern Germany suggests that more than 2,000 people were involved in the battle

Since the 1980s, several pieces of evidence of a battle have been found in river sediment at the site, including daggers, knives and skulls. A systematic exploration of the site then began in 2007, since which archaeologists have unearthed an enormous battlefield, as well as 140 skeletons and remains of military equipment. Pictured are some of the artefacts found

WOODEN WEAPONS FOUND AT TOLLENSE Among the weapons found in Tollense is a wooden club in the shape of a baseball bat and another stick comparable to a mallet. The 'baseball bat' is made of ash wood, which is well known for its strength and elasticity while the mallet is made from sloe. The findings led archaeologists to conclude the site could be the earliest Bronze Age battle site ever found. 'There is no doubt that such hammer-like, wooden weapons could cause heavy lesions,' the researchers said. 'Wooden clubs are sometimes reported from bogs in northern Germany [and] clubs have been found at Wiesmoor and Berumerfehn.' The archaeologists continued that wooden clubs of various forms are also reported being used by Native Americans, for example, for hunting and warfare, but the Tollense Valley represents the first prehistoric site in Central Europe where such weapons have been found in association with human bones. Advertisement

The analysis did suggest that many of the fighters came from the south – either southern Germany or Central Europe – a find that was in line with many pieces of evidence found at the site, including Central-European arrowheads and pins.

The fighters closely resembled the slain soldiers discovered in a nearby mass grave at Wittstock, dating back to 1636.

While this is more recent than the battle at Tollense, Professor Terberger believes it could have some important parallels for the Bronze Age.

In the battle at Wittstock, soldiers were known to come from all over Europe.

If the fighters at Tollense were also multi-ethnic, it might mean 'these were warriors who were trained as warriors', rather than locals, according to Professor Terberger.

One key question that remains to be answered is the motivation behind the battle.

The researchers now hope to look to the wider landscape near the battlefield to look for answers.

The Tollense River was known to be an important route for north-south trade, and the battle took place beside a bridge connecting two sides of the river.

Among the other finds on the site included tin rings and bronze scrolls. The two tin rings shown may have been worn on warriors' fingers. The small bronze scrolls may have served as tassels or decorations for garments

To understand more about the fighters, the researchers conducted a chemical analysis of the skeletons, looking for elements like strontium, which can leave a geographically specific signature in bones

Professor Terberger said: 'It was probably an important crossing in the landscape.'

The time when the battle took place was also right in the middle of a huge cultural shift in Central Europe, as people arrived from the Mediterranean.

Professor Terberger added: 'It's not by accident that our battlefield site is dating to this period of time.'