Perfectly Preserved 3000-Year-Old Bronze Sword Discovered in Germany

Perfectly Preserved 3,000-Year-Old Bronze Sword Discovered in Germany

Shining Ancient Bronze Sword Discovered in Germany

Photo: Archäologie-Büro Dr Woidich

Ancient swords hold a certain mystique. Recently, a museum discovered an artifact in their collection was in fact a real ancient weapon, unearthed from a Hungarian river in the 1930s. In 2018, a young Swedish girl pulled a Viking sword out of a lake in her own version of the King Arthur myth. Another new find is equally exciting: a Bronze Age sword has been discovered, still gleaming as if new, buried in an ancient German gravesite.

The sword was discovered in Nördlingen in southern Germany. It dates back to the late 14th century BCE, making it over 3,000 years old. The sword was buried with other bronze objects in a gravesite where the remains of a man, woman, and boy were discovered. The rare find is an important piece of Bronze Age craftsmanship. The hilt is octagonal with intricate patterns. The hilt was cast onto the blade in a demonstration of skill by the maker. Unlike other grave goods, the sword was clearly meant for use rather than ornament. Although the bronze has become slightly green, the metal still shined upon its unearthing, as if only recently it had vanished under the earth.

Why was the sword laid to rest alongside the three unknown ancient people? The answer is still elusive. Professor Mathias Pfeil, head of the BLfD, the Bavarian state preservation office, 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 identities and relationship of the three people still need to be further investigated, but the remarkable find is certainly impressive evidence of the role that bronze played in shaping human culture and warfare during the Bronze Age.