4,000 years ago a ‘prince’ fell victim to oldest known political assassination

Science Alert
In 1877, a German art historian named Friedrich Klopfleisch uncovered the remains of a figure buried in a tomb of opulence around 1940 BCE.
Little is known about the life and identity of this affluent Bronze Age ‘prince’. A fresh examination of the bones has now revealed at least one new piece of information – somebody really didn’t like him all that much.
The contents of the ancient grave in the district of Leubingen, in the eastern German state of Thuringia, have enthralled archaeologists ever since Klopfleisch first cast his eyes on them more than a century ago.
Cloak pins, made of gold. A dagger, axes, and several bronze blades. A stone anvil. A clay pot. Objects nobody would bury without a good reason, indicating this had been a man who wielded power.
Curiously, the arm bones of a young child lay nearby, as if a young body once lay draped across the grave occupant’s lap.
As to who the wealthy figure might have been, there can only be guesses. The bones tell of an older male, one displaying signs of worn teeth and gout, and – until recently – not much else.
In 2012 anthropologists searched for injuries that could have explained the man’s death, finding nothing conclusive.
Historian Kai Michael and archaeologist Harald Meller – an expert on the Early Bronze Age Únětice culture that defines the grave site – weren’t satisfied, and encouraged experts to go back for another look.
“After all, its bones are the only remnants of a human from the immediate vicinity of the sky disc,” Meller told Thomas Schöne from Tiroler Tageszeitung.
What’s the sky disc? Unearthed by looters nearly twenty years ago near the town of Nebra, the 3,600 year old plate consists of a blue-green patina surface inlaid with gold astronomical symbols, as seen below.
While debate continues on exactly what this disc’s purpose might have been, its markings suggest it more than likely helped mark out the solstices.
Having recently co-authored a book on the Nebra Sky Disc, Michael and Meller have their opinions. But the next logical step was to learn all they could about this local figure of authority.
“Ultimately we are dealing with the only known remains of someone directly linked to the Nebra Sky Disc,” says Michael.
The published results of the full forensic analysis won’t be available until next year. But a preliminary report concludes signs of violence seem to be present after all.
“We have been able to verify three clear injuries to the bones,” says deputy director of the Institute of Legal Medicine at Saarland University, Frank Ramsthaler.