Archaeologists in Guardamar are looking into the unsolved crime of the century – the 14th century that is. A recent dig at the site of Guardamar Castle has uncovered the skeletal remains of a man believed to have died a violent death during the War of The Two Pedros – a war which was fought from 1356 to 1375 between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Its name refers to the rulers of the countries, Pedro I of Castile and Pedro IV of Aragon.
Guardamar castle was a key line of defence of the Aragonese and was besieged around 1360. Fast forward seven centuries and archaeologists on a recent dig at the castle have found the skeletal remains of a man, either murdered or executed at the site.
Tests carried out on the skeleton have revealed that it was a man who lived in the 14th century and who died violently from stab wounds. Archaeologists venture that his body was thrown into a pit without further ado and there it remained until recently.
Historical experts believed that the man was killed at some stage during the long conflict between Pedro IV of Aragon and Pedro I of Castile. Carbon dating later revealed that the man did indeed die towards the second half of the 14th century, a period in which the Castilian-Aragonese conflict took place in the so-called War of the two Pedros.
Guardamar town hall said this week that during the archaeological exploration carried out on the western wall of the Castle, the remains of a man who had been ‘thrown into a grave’ were exhumed. The study of the skeleton, still in progress, shows multiple stab wounds. Guardamar, the then border of the Castilian territory of Murcia, was key in the defence of Aragon. Further studies are now underway by a team of archaeologists and historians to find out whether the man was a key player in the battle which took place there.
