German archeologists find Bronze Age sword so well-preserved it ‘almost shines’
- The weapon, which is more than 3,000 years old, was discovered in a grave where a man, woman and boy were buried
- The rare find bears a bronze octagonal hilt and is extraordinarily well preserved
A bronze sword made more than 3,000 years ago that is so well-preserved it “almost still shines” has been unearthed in Germany, officials say.
Bavaria’s state office for the preservation of historical monuments says the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century B.C. – the middle of the Bronze Age – was found during excavations last week in Noerdlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart in southern Germany.
It has a bronze octagonal hilt and comes from a grave in which three people – a man, a woman and a boy – were buried in quick succession with bronze objects, the Bavarian office said in a statement this week.
It is not yet clear whether the three were related to each other and, if so, how.
“The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archeologists can categorise this find more precisely,” said the head of the office, Mathias Pfeil.