A fractured skull and a thighbone hacked in half were found at the lake.

Although that may sound like the opening scene of a crime drama, the human remains, along with axes, spears, clubs and shields, were unearthed at an archaeological site in the wetlands of Denmark, and date to the birth of Jesus.

The recent findings most certainly indicate that the 2,000-year-old site was the scene of a major battle, said Mads Kahler Holst, an archaeologist at Aarhus University in Denmark and one of the leaders of the excavation. They also point to the involvement of religious sacrifices....