8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Mass graves of Crusaders killed in the 13th century have been discovered in Lebanon

From 1096 to 1291, waves of Europeans took up arms and marched into the Middle East. They hope to “take back” the Holy Land. But many of these Christian crusaders never returned home, and a mass grave found in Lebanon provided grisly evidence of their violent deaths.

Much of what we know about crusaders’ lives and deaths come from historical documents, and while the prior studies have concentrated on human remains from crusader period cemeteries in Europe and the Middle East, relatively few conflict-related mass burial sites have been found or investigated.

At least 25 young men and teenage boys’ chipped and burned bones were discovered inside the dry moat of the remains of St. Louis Castle in Sidon, Lebanon.

A team of international researchers explains their findings from examinations of human skeletal remains unearthed at Sidon Castle on the eastern Mediterranean coast of south Lebanon in a new article published in PLoS ONE.

Their findings add to our understanding of combat throughout the Crusades, notably during the 13th century, and shed insight on crusader demography, weapon techniques, and injuries, as well as how the treatment of the dead.

A diagram shows the extensive injuries suffered by one Crusader.
A diagram shows the extensive injuries suffered by one Crusader. Photo: Mikulski et al.

After the First Crusade, the crusaders took Sidon for the first time in 1110 CE. However, the crusaders’ military power waned in the second part of the 13th century, and they battled to retain control of the city.

The researchers used DNA and naturally existing radioactive isotopes in the men’s teeth to prove that some of them were born in Europe, and an examination of various versions, or isotopes, of carbon in their bones, indicates that they died around the year 13th century.

According to crusader chronicles, Sidon was besieged and devastated in 1253 by Mamluk soldiers, and again in 1260 by Mongols. It is highly likely that these soldiers died in one of these battles.

Some of the skeletal remains have sword wounds in the rear of the corpse, indicating that the troops were assaulted from behind and were most likely fleeing when they were killed. Others have sword wounds across the back of their necks, indicating that they may have been captured and decapitated after the conflict.

“One individual sustained so many wounds (a minimum of 12 injuries involving a minimum of 16 skeletal elements) that it may represent an incident of overkill, where considerably more violent blows were applied than was actually required to overcome or kill them,” the researchers wrote in their study. 

Dr. Piers Mitchell of the University of Cambridge, who was the crusader expert on the project, explained “Crusader records tell us that King Louis IX of France was on crusade in the Holy Land at the time of the attack on Sidon in 1253. He went to the city after the battle and personally helped to bury the rotting corpses in mass graves such as these. Wouldn’t it be amazing if King Louis himself had helped to bury these bodies?”

Mitchell continued “So many thousands of people died on all sides during the crusades, but it is incredibly rare for archaeologists to find the soldiers killed in these famous battles. The wounds that covered their bodies allow us to start to understand the horrific reality of medieval warfare,” he said.

Bournemouth University

Related Articles

The longest inscription in Saudi Arabia turned out to belong to the last king of Babylon

25 July 2021

25 July 2021

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage has announced the discovery of a 2,550-year-old inscription etched on basalt stone...

10,000-year-old Settlement Discovered in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa

25 June 2021

25 June 2021

A Neolithic settlement was discovered in the garden of a house in the Sayburç Neighborhood of Şanlıurfa’s Karaköprü district. News...

One of the oldest known mosques in the world uncovered in Israel

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

A team of Israeli archaeologists has discovered what is one of the oldest known mosques in the world. Israeli archaeologists...

Archaeologists discovered a dragon made of mussel shells in in Inner Mongolia

26 August 2023

26 August 2023

Archaeologists discovered a dragon made of mussel shells earlier this week in Chifeng, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which...

In the Mediterranean Oldest Hand-Sewn Boat is Preparing for its Next Journey

25 January 2024

25 January 2024

The oldest hand-sewn boat in the Mediterranean was discovered in the Bay of Zambratija near Umag on Croatia’s Istrian peninsula....

A new study reveals that “Bog Bodies” were part of a Millennia-old tradition

10 January 2023

10 January 2023

Archaeologists have studied hundreds of ancient “Bog Bodies” discovered in Europe’s wetlands, revealing that they were part of a millennia-old...

New fortifications unearthed in Porsuk Mound excavations

11 August 2021

11 August 2021

In the excavations of Porsuk Mound, which is an important Hittite settlement and where traces of settlement remains can be...

Philippines Cagayan Cave Art 3500 Years Old

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

A depiction depicting a human-like figure on a cave wall in Penablanca town, Cagayan province, is Southeast Asia’s first directly...

A Mysterious 1,800-year-old Roman Statue Unearthed During Car Park Construction Work in UK

13 March 2024

13 March 2024

A 1,800-year-old Roman marble statue of a woman’s head was discovered during construction in the parking lot of Burghley House...

Researchers found similar descriptions in the Book of Revelation and ancient curse tablets

10 February 2023

10 February 2023

A research project headed by Dr. Michael Hölscher of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), has uncovered that the book of...

A Decorated Block with Decapitated Gaul Found for the First Time in Toul, France

22 July 2024

22 July 2024

A Corinthian-style carved block that was once part of the entablature of a monumental Gallo-Roman public building has been discovered...

1,500-year-old secret underground passage uncovered in Istanbul

15 May 2023

15 May 2023

During the ongoing excavations in the ruins of Saint Polyeuktos Church in Istanbul’s Saraçhane neighborhood, which was destroyed during the...

In Parion, one of the most important cities of the Troas region, 2,000-year-old mother-child graves were unearthed

1 November 2022

1 November 2022

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Parion, the most important harbor city in the Hellenistic era, have uncovered  2,000-year-old...

Ancient Thracian Royal Palace Uncovered in Vratsa, Bulgaria: Possible Seat of the Powerful Triballi Ruler

14 July 2025

14 July 2025

Archaeologists have unearthed what may be one of the most significant Thracian discoveries of the 21st century: the remains of...

2-Meter-Long Stone Block Found at 12,000-Year-Old Boncuklu Tarla Site in Southeastern Türkiye

18 December 2024

18 December 2024

A remarkable 2-meter by 20-centimeter processed stone block was discovered during the archaeological excavations at Boncuklu Tarla (Beaded Field), which...