How One Man’s Quest for a Musketeer’s Bones Got Him Locked Up (Gift Article)

A retired archaeologist and his friends unearthed remains inside a Dutch church that may or may not belong to D’Artagnan, the French historical figure upon whom Alexandre Dumas based the main character in “The Three Musketeers.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

“In interviews, Mr. Dijkman alternated between insisting that they thought that going forward was legal because the site was on church property and done with the approval of the church board — and acknowledging that the team knew that it was tap-dancing on the edge of the official rulebook.” 🏺🎁⚔️

the investigation into whether the bones belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan, who died during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673, was about to take twists and turns that might have impressed Dumas himself.

A stunning tale of rogue archaeology in search of a 17th century hero. Involves a D'Artagnan impersonator, a sozzled pastor and a retired archaeologist gone wild. A crazy read! 🏺

“Dijkman jailed until coffin up the bones.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

Ha! Ik was dit al helemaal vergeten! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

Alle moeite voor niets, zo lijkt het. Voor wie het eerder dit jaar niet heeft gevolgd (zoals ik). Longread NY Times, vrij te lezen: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

How One Man’s Quest for a Musketeer’s Bones Got Him Locked Up www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

Say no to scofflaws “without permits, and largely in secret: Even church parishioners weren’t fully informed about the giant dig happening directly in front of their altar.”

Story: www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

How One Man’s Quest for a Musketeer’s Bones Got Him Locked Up