According to a statement released by the Bavarian state office for the preservation of historical monuments, the BLfD, a bronze sword that “almost still shines” despite being over 3000 years old was just found in southern Germany.
The sword was found in Nördlingen, a town between Nuremberg and Stuttgart. It is believed to be from the 14th century BC, the middle of the Bronze Age. It was found inside a grave in which three people, a man, a woman, and a boy, were also found. As of now, it isunclear to the archeologists investigating why the three were buried together. Two barbed arrowheads were found along with the bodies and sword; the barbs made the arrows harder to remove from a wound.
Commenting the amazingly well-preserved sword with an octagonal hilt, BLfD head Prof Mathias Pfeil said, “The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archeologists can categorize this find more precisely. But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.”
The BLfD statement went on to note that the nearly two-and-a-half-foot-long sword does not appear to have been used but was made for practical rather than ceremonial purposes, as it is weighted toward the front of the blade, indicating that it was meant to be used in a slashing attack.
Additionally, the BLfD noted that the octagonal hilt of the sword is a design style native to southern Germany during the period. Though similarly hilted swords have been found in the northern part of the country, the BLfD claims that those were imported by “wandering craftsmen” or locally-made copies of southern designs.
Further, the BLfD noted that the octagonal hilt is difficult to make, saying, “The production of octagonal swords is complex because the handle is cast over the blade (so-called overlay casting). The decoration is made with an inlay and using hallmarks.”
Few swords from the bronze age are found, with those that are found typically coming from burial mounds or sites of sacrifices. This one was exceptionally well preserved, with the local Augsburger Allgemeine reporting that it “almost still shines” because “it lay in soil with very fine sediment,” and so “Very little oxygen got to the object.”
The manner by which the sword was preserved is similar to how objects found in old European bogs are often remarkably well preserved because the nature of the environment, tightly packed sediment, meant that very little oxygen could reach those objects and degrade them.
For example, a retired surgeon in the United Kingdom just found what is believed to be the oldest ever wood carving found in Britain. He discovered the more than 6,000-year-old carving in a peat bog and recognized its significance thanks to his interest in history.
📣 New discovery! The oldest decoratively carved wood in Britain has been found.
It was discovered by chance during construction in Berkshire, and has been identified as being more than 6,000 years old.
Read more about this fascinating find ➡️ https://t.co/Lc7ZC072V9 pic.twitter.com/XHjEI4Eq0V
— Historic England (@HistoricEngland) June 7, 2023
That decoratively cut timber dates from about 4640 to 4605 BC, making it about 6,600 years old. If that age estimate is accurate, it would make the timber more than 2,000 years older than the age of Stone Henge.
Featured image credit: Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (BLfD)
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