Could a 700-year-old skeleton found at Stirling Castle be the first victim of a trebuchet?

19 Aug 2026 • 6:04 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Could a 700-year-old skeleton found at Stirling Castle be the first victim of a trebuchet?

  • Archaeologists have identified a skeleton found at Stirling Castle as likely belonging to the world's earliest-known trebuchet victim.
  • Skeleton 150 belonged to a man in his 20s who died from a massive blunt-force impact during a siege approximately 700 years ago.
  • Scans revealed over 160 fractures sustained around the time of death, including 61 to the skull and 57 to the ribs.
  • The injuries were likely caused by a projectile from a massive trebuchet, such as Edward I's famous War Wolf, during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
  • Researchers noted that the findings present the first known evidence of trebuchet trauma in the archaeological record.

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