Archaeologists have uncovered 1,289 skeletal remains of Prussian soldiers who died in and around Prague during the 18th-century wars, on the grounds of the Brevnov Monastery in the western part of the city, according to findings published on the website of the Prague branch of the National Heritage Institute.
The discovery of 1,055 remains last year was increased by another 234 this year. The scale of the discovery is absolutely unprecedented, archaeologist Matous Semerad told CTK.
The archaeologists, in cooperation with anthropologists, were exploring the site behind the monastery granary, where a woodchip heating plant is to be built for the monastery. According to written sources, the site was used for the burial of relics in two 18th century wars, during which the Prussian army used the monastery as a field hospital. Roughly one-sixth of the graves discovered probably date from the time of the occupation of Prague by Prussian troops in September 1744, while the vast majority date from the Seven Years’ War, when the Prussians won the bloody Battle of Sterboholy in 1757 and then besieged Prague for almost two months.
The archaeologists examined an area of about 1,000 square metres.
It was possible to date the remains from coins sewn into military coats. In addition to fabric remnants, the linear graves contained buckles, more than a thousand buttons, and various calibers of projectiles. Researchers also found switchblades, wallet fragments, rosaries, and holy images in the burial site. Some parts of skeletons were in common graves.
“All the buried died in battle or from wounds or possibly related diseases, and more than 200 bullets of various calibers from Austrian weapons were also discovered, which, in conjunction with their identified devastating effects on the skeletal remains, can tell us a lot about military life, warfare and medicine at the time,” said the archaeologists from the National Institute of Archaeology.
According to the research team, this is a unique find in the Czech Republic and Europe, in terms of the number of remains found and the period from which they come.
During the second stage of the research, archaeologists made another important discovery – they uncovered the stone construction of the medieval enclosure wall of the monastery, which had been disturbed by some of the older graves.
The Battle of Sterboholy in May 1757 is estimated to have caused up to 14,000 casualties on the Prussian side and an equal number on the Austrian side. By the decision of King Friedrich II of Prussia, who took up residence in the summer palace on Prague’s White Mountain, some of the Prussian soldiers were buried in the nearby Brevnov Monastery.
According to the National Museum of Natural History, the remnants will be reburied at a new burial site after the survey.
Scientists plan to present the first conclusions of the research at the end of September at a conference on the archaeology of conflicts in Hradec Kralove.
