The Battle of Visby was the culmination of the Danish invasion of Gotland in July 1361. Around 1800 fatalities, many still wearing armour, were buried in mass graves. Incidences of peri-mortem trauma, together with overlying armour, create a unique record of medieval combat. Much emphasis has been placed on the analysis of sharp force and hacking trauma, whilst penetrating trauma has been largely ignored. Multiple cases of square penetrating lesions have been found. Three weapons have been proposed for such trauma: crossbow, spiked axe, and spiked club. We examined seven Visby crania using structured light and micro-photogrammetry to model wounding patterns in 3D. Combined with forensic fractography, this facilitated understanding of wound mechanics and pathway. We also undertook experimental trauma analysis using authentic reproductions of all three weapons, combining motion capture (MoCap), 4D telemetry data, and actualistic trauma on animal bone substrates. Limitations of using non-human analogues (Havervsian versus plexiform bone) were minimised by the experimental method and the addition of soft tissue mimics. Comparative analysis indicates archaeological cases were likely caused by a spiked club, possibly as a coup de grâce. Similar defects have been recorded from medieval contexts at Towton and Stirling in the UK, allowing us to draw direct parallels between the three assemblages. Our research highlights the importance of multi-proxy experimental wounding dynamics in a complex battlefield setting and supports continued research combining one-on-one combat scenarios in MoCap with detailed forensic modelling of skeletal lesions.
Analysis undertaken with the permission of Statens Historiska Museer. Research was funded by DBW Stiftelsen.