First real World War was fought not in 1914 but way back in 1250 BC

History books tell us that the First World War started in 1914 and went on till 1918. But what if this was not the first such war to be fought on Earth? A study has revealed that the first war to be fought on such a massive scale took place some 32 centuries ago.

It comprised a series of conflicts across much of Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East. Two strong armies from two different parts of Europe engaged in a battle just south of the Baltic Sea. At least 400 miles of land separated their homes - with one coming from Bavaria (current Czech Republic) and a northern one from what is now north-east Germany.

Over 2,000 soldiers fought the epic war which was triggered by a series of conflicts and crises. There was chaos in several parts of the world and everything, from Scandinavia to the Sahara and from Western Europe to today's Iraq, was affected.

The new findings have been published in the UK-based academic journal, Antiquity.

It was fought in the valley of the River Tollense around 1250 BC.

The period was fraught with political turmoil with several major empires reaching their demise.

This included the fall of the first great Greek civilisation (the Mycenaeans) from around 1230 BC, the collapse of the Middle East’s Hittite empire in the 1190s BC, the weakening of ancient Egypt from around 1180 BC, and the decline of Babylon by 1155 BC.

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This is also when the final 13th century BC collapse of the Indus Valley civilisation happened. Major political centres in Romania, Hungary and northern Serbia also declined in the 12th century.

Proof of the war

A likely proof of the major conflict is the construction of defensive ramparts in Bavaria, Austria, Bohemia, and as far west as Ireland in the 13th century.

Archaeologists have found proof that the battle was not only the earliest known major battle in Europe but was fought on a much larger scale than previously thought. The remains of 160 warriors have been found so far, despite only a tiny fraction of the battlefield being excavated.

Around 54 bronze arrowheads have also been found, which align with the injuries on the bodies of the soldiers as most of them are believed to have been killed by them.

Another proof of the war was the two types of arrows found - one from north-east Germany, the other from southern Germany or from Bohemia or Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic.

“Our study of this battlefield completely changes our understanding of Bronze Age society,” prehistorian Professor Thomas Terberger of the University of Göttingen, a co-author of today’s Antiquity paper, said.

“Our investigations have been revealing the unexpected scale and level of military and political organisation in that period,” he added.