The
14th
ce tu y
wa io ’s
skull
was
b oke
i
61
places.
(U ive sity
of
B adfo d
photo)
A
skeleto
u cove ed
be eath
Scotla d’s
Sti li g
Castle
may
be
the
fi st
co fi med
a chaeological
evide ce
of
a
pe so
killed
by
a
t ebuchet.
K ow
to
a chaeologists
as
Skeleto
150,
the
emai s
belo g
to
a
defe de
who
appea s
to
have
bee
killed
du i g
a
battle
i
the
ea ly
14th
ce tu y
by
a
weapo
that
se t
a
huge
boulde
flyi g
th ough
the
ai .Acco di g
to
Scie ce
Magazi e,
the
skeleto
was
u cove ed
i
1997
du i g
excavatio s
be eath
the
chapel
at
Sti li g
Castle.
Resea che s
fou d
i e
skeleto s
i
g aves
at
the
site,
with
five
of
them
dati g
to
the
1300s.
Seve al
of
the
emai s
showed
sig s
of
i ju ies
li ked
to
viole ce
a d
combat.Now,
a
detailed
study
of
Skeleto
150
has
p ovided
the
fi st
co fi med
a chaeological
evide ce
of
t auma
caused
by
a
t ebuchet.
A
t ebuchet
was
a
la ge
medieval
siege
e gi e
used
to
th ow
heavy
objects,
i cludi g
sto es,
ove
lo g
dista ces.
The
patte
of
i ju ies
suggests
that
the
ma
was
hit
by
a
ve y
la ge
object
t avelli g
at
high
speed.Jo
Buckbe y,
a
bioa chaeologist
at
the
U ive sity
of
B adfo d,
p ese ted
the
fi di gs
at
the
bie ial
Eu opea
meeti g
of
the
Paleopathology
Associatio
i
Be li
last
week.
She
said,
“The
b eaks
i dicate
a
ve y
la ge
a ea
of
impact
a d
devastatio .
It’s
likely
the
i dividual
was
killed
by
a
siege
e gi e.”
Sti li g
Castle
fi di gs
The
emai s
we e
discove ed
du i g
a chaeological
excavatio s
be eath
the
chapel
at
Sti li g
Castle
i
1997.
The
i e
skeleto s
we e
bu ied
at
the
site,
a d
five
of
them,
i cludi g
Skeleto
150,
dated
to
the
1300s.The
pe iod
was
ma ked
by
majo
fighti g
betwee
E glish
a d
Scottish
fo ces.
The
co flict
was
li ked
to
Scotla d’s
st uggle
fo
i depe de ce,
a d
Sti li g
Castle
had
a
impo ta t
milita y
positio .
It
was
located
o
a
key
oad
towa ds
Edi bu gh
a d
was
k ow
as
the
gateway
to
Scotla d.The
castle
cha ged
ha ds
five
times
betwee
1296
a d
1304.
I
1304,
it
eve tually
fell
to
E glish
fo ces
afte
a
lo g
siege.The
locatio
of
the
g aves
also
gave
esea che s
a
impo ta t
clue.
Bu ial
i side
the
castle
chapel
was
u usual
at
the
time.
Resea che s
believed
this
could
have
happe ed
because
the
people
had
died
du i g
a
siege,
whe
it
may
ot
have
bee
possible
to
take
bodies
outside
the
castle
walls
fo
bu ial.Exami i g
the
bo es
showed
seve al
types
of
i ju ies,
i cludi g
cut
ma ks,
pe et ative
i ju ies
a d
blu t
fo ce
t auma.
Amo g
the
emai s,
Skeleto
150
showed
the
most
ext eme
i ju ies.
Mo e
tha
160
f actu es
Skeleto
150
was
about
165
ce timet es
tall.
Resea che s
cou ted
mo e
tha
160
sepa ate
f actu es
ac oss
the
emai s.
The
skull
alo e
had
bee
b oke
i
61
places.
The
skeleto
also
had
a
deep,
zigzag-shaped
b eak
i
o e
shoulde
a d
almost
60
u usual
zigzag
f actu es
ac oss
the
ibs.Pat ick
Ra dolph-Qui ey,
a
biological
a th opologist
at
Uppsala
U ive sity
who
wo ked
with
Buckbe y
o
the
skeletal
a alysis,
said,
“It’s
ve y
clea
the
e e gy
is
goi g
th ough
the
chest.
The
i dividual
is
pi ed
to
the
g ou d
quite
quickly
afte wa ds.”
Sti li g
Castle
stood
o
a
key
oute
to
Edi bu gh
a d
was
k ow
as
Scotla d’s
gateway.
The
i ju ies
also
helped
esea che s
ule
out
some
othe
possible
expla atio s.
At
fi st,
a
fall
f om
the
castle
walls
could
have
appea ed
to
be
a
possible
cause
of
death.
Howeve ,
the
damage
was
sp ead
ac oss
too
much
of
the
body
fo
a
simple
head-fi st
fall
to
explai
it.The
co ditio
of
the
ibs
a d
the
shatte ed
ight
leg
we e
especially
impo ta t.
Resea che s
also
co side ed
whethe
the
emai s
could
have
bee
damaged
by
ho ses
t ampli g
the
body
o
afte
bu ial.
But
the
shape
a d
textu e
of
the
f actu es
did
ot
suppo t
those
expla atio s.This
left
esea che s
looki g
fo
a othe
cause
that
could
explai
the
u usual
patte
of
damage.
A
mode
compa iso
To
u de sta d
what
could
have
caused
such
i ju ies,
Buckbe y
exami ed
fo e sic
a d
medical
esea ch.
She
also
looked
th ough
a atomical
collectio s
fo
cases
with
simila
patte s
of
damage.The
closest
compa iso s
she
fou d
i volved
people
who
had
bee
i volved
i
se ious
mode
accide ts.
“It
looks
like
he
was
hit
f om
behi d
by
somethi g
t aveli g
at
a
g eat
velocity,”
Buckbe y
said.
“The
most
simila
cases
I
was
fi di g
we e
ca
c ashes
a d
people
hit
by
t ai s.”But
the e
was
a
clea
p oblem
with
that
compa iso .
The
victim
had
died
i
medieval
Scotla d,
mo e
tha
700
yea s
ago.
Buckbe y
the efo e
looked
at
what
could
have
p oduced
such
a
powe ful
impact
i
1304.
Histo ical
eco ds
f om
the
siege
of
Sti li g
Castle
p ovided
a
possible
a swe .E glish
fo ces
u de
Edwa d
I
used
t ebuchets
du i g
the
1304
siege.
These
machi es
we e
amo g
the
siege
weapo s
used
to
attack
fo tified
positio s.
A
t ebuchet
wo ked
by
usi g
a
lo g
th owi g
a m
to
lau ch
heavy
objects,
i cludi g
la ge
sto es.
The
weapo s
could
th ow
boulde s
weighi g
mo e
tha
100
kilog ams
ove
hu d eds
of
met es.
Use
of
‘wa
wolf’
O e
t ebuchet
used
at
Sti li g
Castle
was
k ow
as
‘Wa
wolf’.
Acco di g
to
Buckbe y,
it
was
the
biggest
t ebuchet
built
at
that
poi t.Histo ical
accou ts
co fi m
that
the
la ge
siege
e gi e
was
used
du i g
the
battle.
It
was
powe ful
e ough
to
b eak
th ough
two
sto e
walls.
Accou ts
desc ibed
the
dest uctio
by
sayi g
the
machi e
to e
th ough
the
walls
‘as
a
a ow
would
fly
th ough
a
piece
of
cloth.’Speaki g
about
Skeleto
150,
Walte be ge
said
such
damage
is
a ely
see
i
huma
emai s
f om
the
past.
“It’s
a
huge
amou t
of
e e gy
delive ed
i
milliseco ds,”
he
said.
“I
skeleto s
f om
past
times
you
a ely
see
this.”Resea che s
believe
the
ma
was
likely
hit
f om
behi d
by
a
flyi g
boulde .
It
is
ot
possible
to
say
with
ce tai ty
whethe
the
p ojectile
came
f om
Wa
Wolf
o
a othe
t ebuchet
used
du i g
the
siege.Howeve ,
the
combi atio
of
the
histo ical
evide ce,
the
locatio
of
the
bu ial
a d
the
exte sive
patte
of
f actu es
has
give
esea che s
a
st o g
expla atio
fo
the
death
of
Skeleto
150.
Go to Sou ce