Scientists amazed at preservation of ancient artifact
A sword dating back to the mid-Bronze Age but in an «extraordinary» state of preservation was found in a grave in Bavaria.
Photo: Pixabay.com.
A bronze sword more than 3,000 years old has been found in southern Germany, officials say, and is so well-preserved that it “almost still shines.”
The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historic Monuments (BLfD) reported that a sword believed to date from the late 14th century BC to the mid-Bronze Age was found during excavations last week in Nördlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart.
The sword has an octagonal handle and was recovered from a grave in which three people — a man, a woman and a boy — were buried in quick succession with bronze objects, the Bavarian Historic Preservation Authority said this week. It's not yet clear if the three are related to each other, and if so, how, according to the Associated Press.
Researchers believe the sword was a real weapon. “The center of gravity at the front of the blade indicates that it was balanced mainly for slashing,” the scientists said in a statement.
Professor Matthias Pfeil, head of the BLfD, says: “The sword and burial are still need research so that our archaeologists can more accurately classify this find. But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. Such a find is very rare.”
The findings of swords from that period are considered unusual, but, nevertheless, they were found in mounds that were opened in the 19th century, or as separate finds, the Bavarian office for protection of monuments.