In 1361, the Battle of Visby saw a tragic confrontation where 2,000 Swedish peasants clashed with 2,500 Danish soldiers. The conflict resulted in the brutal massacre of about 1,800 peasants. A recent analysis of their remains highlights one soldier's particularly grisly death, showing he likely suffered a fatal ax strike to the face based on a facial reconstruction.
An archaeological examination of the bodies from the Visby battlefield drew the attention of Cícero Moraes, a Brazilian graphic artist. Published findings in OrtogOnLineMag detail how Moraes undertook the task of reconstructing the skull of a warrior who bore a distinctive facial wound.
The injured warrior displayed a severe slash across his face, extending from his lower jaw over his nose, resulting in multiple lost teeth. A report by The Sun explains that Moraes used soft tissue markers on the warrior's skull and a CT scan from a living subject to visualize what the fallen man once looked like, ultimately revealing the grim extent of his battle injuries.
Stunning Facial Reconstruction Shows The Lethal Axe Blow That Ended A Medieval Warrior's Life "Among the weapon options that could have been used, the ax seemed the most coherent," Moraes told Live Science. "So, I modeled an ax and placed it on the bone. It's hard to know if it killed him, but it certainly did a lot of damage to the soft tissue. It was shocking to see that ax stuck in his face."
The Sun notes that the warrior's deadly encounter involved more than just the ax blow to his face. Additional injuries, including wounds above his left eye and on his left cheekbone, suggest he was struck by a pole weapon as well.
Moraes believes that given the severity of these injuries, it is unlikely the warrior survived much longer after the battle.
"It is difficult to estimate this with the skull alone," he told The Sun. "But surely such an injury would not be an easy thing to treat, considering the year and the reality at the time it was inflicted."
Stunning Facial Reconstruction Shows The Lethal Axe Blow That Ended A Medieval Warrior's Life The Swedish History Museum provides context for the conflict, describing the Battle of Visby, or the Battle of Gotland, as a clash between local Gotland farmers and the professional Danish army. The Danish King Valdemar Atterdag, having already conquered Skåne and Öland, aimed to take over Gotland as well. However, he faced fierce resistance from the farmers in July 1361.
According to The Sun, about 2,000 Swedish farmers on Gotland, including many elderly and young people, confronted the highly skilled mercenaries under the Danish king. The battle was swiftly decided in favor of the Danes, who slaughtered approximately 1,800 farmers, leading to a quick declaration of victory by the king.
"Many [of the] Gotland warriors [were] inexperienced rural militiamen, [and] were massacred by the Danish army, with a cadre mostly composed of well-trained mercenaries," Moraes explained to Live Science. "There were so many dead that most were buried with all their clothing, causing great astonishment to archaeologists who carried out the first excavations."
Moraes sees the facial reconstruction of the slain Swedish warrior as a poignant reminder of the steep cost paid by many in the battle, which took place 661 years ago.
"These images are quite impactful," he told The Sun, adding: "Today we have several conflicts happening in the world and we usually observe the scenes from afar, having no idea what happens to the combatants. Imagine how it is for those who receive such violence."
