THE HAGUE, July 2. /TASS/. An object initially believed to be a bullet, which was found among what is believed to be the remains of famed French musketeer Charles de Batz Castelmore d'Artagnan, eventually turned out to be a fragment of a nail, the Maastricht city council said in a statement.
The iron object was closely examined by scientists, who said that its weight of 3.3 grams falls short of expected pistol bullet weight of 16-19 grams and musket bullet of 38-41 grams. Therefore, scientists believe that it was a fragment of an iron nail rather than a piece of ammunition.
At the same time, the discovery sheds no light on the cause of the man’s death and has no significance for conclusively establishing his identity.
The NOS channel said on March 25 that a skeleton was unearthed at a church in Maastricht, believed to be that of d’Artagnan, who was fictionalized in Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel "The Three Musketeers." Anthropological studies set his age at between 44 and 66 years, which is consistent with d’Artagnan’s approximate age at the time of his death. However, isotope analysis suggests his eastern or southeastern European descent, which is not consistent with Gascony in southwestern France, where d'Artagnan was born.
More research needed to see if skeleton could have been d'Artagnan's, including archaeological, historical and genetic research and DNA profiling.
Charles de Batz Castelmore d'Artagnan (ca. 1611 - 1673), the leader of King Louis XIV's musketeers, was killed during the French siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War on June 25, 1673.