A rare sight greeted archaeologists excavating a gravesite in the southern Bavarian town of Nördlingen last week: Nestled near the grave’s occupants was a 3,000-year-old sword.
The weapon sports an octagonal bronze hilt that was cast over the blade, which few smiths were skilled enough to make at the time, according to Live Science’s Laura Geggel. Only two manufacturing regions were known to have made swords of this kind: one near the excavation site in southern Germany, and the other in northern Germany and Denmark.
The octagonal hilt was cast directly over the blade of the sword, something only certain smiths were skilled enough to do. Archäologie-Büro Dr. Woidich / Sergiu Tifui
The sword shows no wear and tear indicating use in battle, but archaeologists say “its center of gravity made it suitable for use as a real weapon, and it was capable of being used to slash opponents,” reports Newsweek’s Jess Thomson.
Bronze swords first emerged around 1600 B.C.E. and were used until roughly 600 C.E., as Smithsonian magazine’s Alex Fox wrote in 2020. Researchers say that the Bavarian artifact dates to the end of the 14th century B.C.E.
The archaeologists say that swords like this one are quite rare, particularly because “many middle Bronze Age graves were looted over the millennia,” per Live Science.
Archaeologists have previously unearthed Bronze Age swords in burial plots in Europe, including an ornate bronze sword with an ivory and gold hilt found during excavations in Greece in 2015.
The sword was unearthed alongside the bodies of a man, woman and child. Archäologie-Büro Dr. Woidich / Sergiu Tifui
Given the soft nature of bronze, historians have previously wondered whether such blades served a ceremonial purpose, rather than a practical purpose on the battlefield. A few years ago, scientists even staged sword fights in order to learn more about how the Bronze Age weapons could have been used effectively in battle, despite being much easier to damage and harder to repair than their iron successors.
The newly unearthed weapon was found alongside an assortment of Bronze Age artifacts, as well as three individuals—a man, a woman and a child—all of whom were buried around the same time. Researchers don’t know how the three were connected, or whether they were related.
“The sword and the burial have yet to be examined so that our archaeologists can classify this find more precisely,” says Mathias Pfeil, head of the monument protection office, in the agency’s statement.
Researchers can say, however, that the sword’s condition is “extraordinary,” adds Pfeil. “A find like this is very rare.”
News
Exploring Peru’s Ancient Architecture: Mysteries of the Inca Civilization
I found myself at two sites where examples of Inca architecture and design could be observed in its finest form. Here below follows a visual tour. Immediately noticeable was the combination of strength, functionality, durability and visual appeal. Aesthetics always…
A Tomb Both Great and Blameless’: Marriage and Murder on a Sarcophagus from the Hellespont
Çanakkale Archaeological Museum Polyxena Sarcophagus side. Kızöldün Tumulus is the oldest known tumulus of Hellespontine Phrygia. It was found in the Granicus River valley, near Biga in the Province of Çanakkale in 1994. The discovery was the result of the…
After lying buried beneath the Egyptian plateau for over three millennia, a wooden sarcophagus finally emerges from the sands of Abydos, hinting at untold secrets waiting to be unveiled.
In 2020, a wooden sarcophagus emerges from the sand at Abydos; during archaeological excavations, after spending more than three Millennia, below the surface of the Egyptian plateau : In a breathtaking discovery that bridges chasm between ancient civilizations and the…
Parts of a marble sculpture of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius were found in Sagalassos, Turkey, revealing insights into the region’s art and history under his rule.
Parts of a giant, exquisitely carved marble sculpture depicting the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius have been found at an archaeological site in Turkey. Fragments of the statue were unearthed at the ancient city of Sagalassos. So far the statue’s head,…
Roman emperor Philippus the Arab kneeling in front of Persian King Shapur I, begging for peace, and the standing emperor represents Valerian who was taken captive by the Persian army in 260 AD, The triumph of Shapur I, Naqshe Rostam, Iran.
The triumph relief of Shapur I (r.241-272), the most famous Sasanian rock relief from Naqš-e Rustam, is very close to the tomb of Darius I the Great. It shows how king Shapur has defeated two Roman emperors. The historical events depicted are these. In 244, the Roman…
Unveiling Ancient Egypt’s Predynastic Legacy: The True Builders of the Pyramids and the Controversy of Alien Giants with Elongated Craniums
The Tomb of Akhenaton’s Seal Bearer June 2007 The tomb of Betah Im Weya, King Akhenaton’s seal Bearer was found yesterday by a Netherlands mission during their excavation work in Saqqara necropolis. Dr. Zahi Hawass secretary general of the Supreme…
End of content
No more pages to load