Jo Buckberry identifies Skeleton 150 as the first known archaeological evidence of a human casualty killed by a medieval trebuchet.

Jo Buckberry, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Bradford, has identified Skeleton 150 as the first known archaeological evidence of a human casualty killed by a medieval trebuchet. Excavated from Stirling Castle in Scotland, the remains of the man, who was between 22 and 34 years old at the time of death, feature over 160 peri-mortem fractures. The damage is concentrated primarily on the right shoulder and the back of the cranium, suggesting a single, high-velocity impact from a large projectile. While siege engines were historically used to destroy fortifications rather than individuals, Buckberry's research indicates that Skeleton 150 was likely struck from behind by a massive stone moving at high speed. The pattern of fractures ruled out other possibilities, such as a fall from the castle walls or being trampled by a horse. The discovery occurred during the Scottish Wars of Independence, specifically during the 1304 siege of Stirling Castle by King Edward I. While it is not certain which specific trebuchet fired the stone, the remains provide a rare and clear example of the destructive power of medieval siege weapons on the human body.

Sources

• Ars Technica
  Meet the only known trebuchet casualty in history
• Smithsonian Magazine
  A Medieval Man's Injuries Reminded One Archaeologist of Modern-Day Car Crash Victims. They Turned Out to Be the Work of an English Trebuchet
• All That's Interesting
  This Medieval Skeleton Was Discovered With 167 Fractures At A Scottish Castle. Now, Researchers Believe He Was The First Victim Of Edward I’s ‘Warwolf’ Trebuchet
• Gizmodo
  This Medieval Skeleton Had 160 Broken Bones, and Scientists Just Figured Out What Hit Him
• GIGAZINE
  The medieval remains, with over 160 places of pulverization throughout their bodies, were the victims of a giant catapult known as a 'trebuchet.'