The battlefield of Waterloo

Do you know the mystery of the battle of Waterloo ? It is a mystery that has haunted historians and archaeologists for years. Although several tens of thousands were killed in this bloody battle, hardly a single skeleton could be found in archaeological or other excavations. And they know they are buried here. But where are they all? It is, or previously was, one of the greatest mysteries surrounding the famous battle. An international team of historians delved into the archives and found a curious answer to this question.

In the years after the battle, they say the bodies are exhumed by the local population and sold on to the sugar industry. At that time, bone char was needed to purify sugar beets. Bone cabbage is made from charred animal bones. According to the researchers, in the decades after the battle, not only animal bones, but also the skeletons of fallen soldiers ended up in the sugar. Local farmers can earn multiples of what they could otherwise scrape together in a lifetime by selling a few cartloads of bones.

Pascal Brackman