It looks likely that Scientists from the First faculty of Medicine at Charles University have found bones belonging to Hussite warriors at the ossuary Žehuň near Kolín. It is even possible that the remains belong to fighters from the great battle of Lipany. The Spokesperson of the faculty issued the information in a press release. The team leader Václav Smrčka started research at the site in 2017.
The Battle at Lipany is viewed by many Czechs as the tragic end of the Hussite era. The battle took place at Lipany, near Český Brod on the 30th of May 1434. Mr. Smrčka described how 42 bones were found with various degrees of damage, most likely from Hussite weapons. The damage includes cuts and bone dislocations caused my various weapons of the time including axes and crossbows.
Evidence was further supported with the help of radio-diagnostic work done by the LF UK clinic and the General Faculty Hospital in Prague. At the General Faculty Hospital, the team used 3D reconstruction to rebuild the damage to the bones. The team then sent some samples to Poznan, Poland to be radio-carbon dated. The results returned showed a 95% probability that the bones were from the 1408 to 1458 time period and a 65% chance that the bones were from the 1420 to 1444 time period. Thus is is entirely possible that the remains are reminents from the Battle of Lipany in the spring of 1434. The site is 30 kilometers away from Lipany and at the time it was common to take injured soldiers to surrounding towns for medical help.
The Žehuň occuary was built in the 18th century from bones found in mass graves. The bones are white, which means they were covered in lime. Covering remains in lime was used during war in mass graves or during infectious outbreaks.
