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Archaeology of the Battle of Le Mans on 12 and 13 December 1793: do bodies bear witness to the fighting?
Conference
Published on
07 October 2014
Updated on
19 June 2017
Colloquia
The Archaeology of Violence
International colloquium organized by Inrap and the Museum of Louvre-Lens.
October 2, 3 and 4, 2104 at La Scène du Louvre-Lens
The archaeology of violence: wartime violence, mass violence
by Elodie Cabot, Inrap
The Battle of Le Mans ended the First Vendée War, a civil conflict between Royalists and Republicans. Fighting over the city took 3,000 lives on 12 and 13 December 1793.
In 2009-2010 archaeologists unearthed 159 bodies buried in mass graves after the battle. Examining the remains confirmed the fierceness of the fighting mentioned in texts on both sides, with executions, artillery fire exchanges and hand-to-hand combat. Multiple wounds attest to the chaos and ruthless violence that raged in old Le Mans.
In 2009-2010 archaeologists unearthed 159 bodies buried in mass graves after the battle. Examining the remains confirmed the fierceness of the fighting mentioned in texts on both sides, with executions, artillery fire exchanges and hand-to-hand combat. Multiple wounds attest to the chaos and ruthless violence that raged in old Le Mans.
Elodie Cabot :
Bibliography
Bibliography
- Cabot E., Chevet P. Duchesne 2012: « La bataille du Mans, apports archéo anthropologiques à l'étude des guerres de Vendée, 10-13 décembre 1793 », XXXe Colloque GALF, Dakar. Antropo, 27 : 15-22. www.didac.ehu.es/antropo
- Cabot E. 2012, « Le Mans. Quinconce des Jacobins. Archéologie de la bataille du Mans (12-13 déc. 1793) », Recherches Vendéennes, 19 : 261-274.
- Cabot E., Chevet P. 2012, « Les étranges découvertes du Mans », Historia, août 2012, p. 13,
- Cabot E., Chevet P., Schmitt L. (2009) : « Les charniers des guerres de Vendée au Mans : approche archéo-anthropologique ». CERMA HS n°5 (2009) : Les ombres de l'Empire. Approches anthropologiques, archéologiques et historiques de la Grande Armée : 123-128.