# Canonical recap data for Battle of the Tollense Valley (1200)
# Source: https://recap.at/1200/tollense-valley-battle
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: tollense-valley-battle
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1200/tollense-valley-battle"
title: Battle of the Tollense Valley
aliases:
- Tollense Valley conflict
- Bronze Age Tollense battle
- Tollense River massacre
subtitle: Bronze Age conflict in northern Europe with mass casualties, confirmed by archaeology, representing one of prehistoric Europe's largest organized military engagements.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1200-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1200
decade: 1200
country:
name: Germany
slug: germany
summaryShort: The Tollense is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany, right tributary of the Peene. It has a total length of 95.8 km.
summaryLong: The Tollense is a river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in northeastern Germany, right tributary of the Peene. It has a total length of 95.8 km.
lede: Around 1200 BCE, a massive Bronze Age battle erupted along the Tollense River in what is now northeastern Germany, leaving behind hundreds of weapons and skeletal remains. Archaeological evidence suggests thousands of warriors from multiple regions clashed in a conflict whose scale and significance reshaped understanding of Bronze Age societies in northern Europe.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Tollense-01.jpg/1280px-Tollense-01.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Tollense"
importance: 78
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Estimated warriors engaged
  value: 1,000–4,000 combatants
- label: Archaeological weapons recovered
  value: Over 1,300 items including swords, spears, and shields
- label: Human remains identified
  value: Approximately 80+ individuals excavated
- label: River length
  value: 95.8 km in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- label: Date of battle
  value: Approximately 1200 BCE (±20 years)
- label: Geographic distribution of warriors
  value: Evidence suggests participants from multiple regional populations
- label: Primary excavation period
  value: 2009–present (major discoveries announced 2011)
timeline:
- date: 1200-01-01
  title: Battle of the Tollense Valley occurs
  description: A major armed conflict takes place along the Tollense River in what is now Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, involving thousands of warriors from multiple populations.
- date: 2009-01-01
  title: Archaeological excavation begins
  description: Researchers begin systematic excavation of sites along the Tollense River after initial discovery of Bronze Age artifacts in the riverbed.
- date: 2011-01-01
  title: Major findings announced
  description: Archaeologists announce the discovery of extensive evidence for a large-scale Bronze Age conflict, including hundreds of weapons and human remains.
- date: 2013-01-01
  title: Large-scale battle interpretation confirmed
  description: Further analysis and additional excavations establish the site as evidence of organized, large-scale warfare rather than isolated raids or skirmishes.
- date: 2015-01-01
  title: International scholarly attention increases
  description: Ongoing research and publications in major archaeological journals bring the Tollense findings into mainstream discussion of Bronze Age European societies.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tollense"
  title: Tollense Valley
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Tollense battle demonstrated that Bronze Age societies in northern Europe possessed the organizational capacity to field armies of unprecedented size—challenging long-held assumptions about tribal warfare and social complexity in prehistoric northern Europe. The sheer violence and scale of the conflict suggested resource competition and territorial pressures intense enough to mobilize thousands of fighters across vast distances.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
impactRadius: regional
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: Bronze Age battle at Tollense River (~1200 BCE) revealed massive organized warfare in prehistoric northern Europe.
wikidataQid: Q678026
