A bronze sword made more than 3,000 years ago that is so well preserved that it “almost still shines” has been unearthed in Germany, authorities say.
The Bavarian state office for the preservation of historical monuments says the sword, which is believed to date from the late 14th century BC. C., in the middle of the Bronze Age, was found during excavations last week in Noerdlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart in the south. Germany.
It has an octagonal bronze handle and comes from a grave in which three people, a man, a woman and a child, were buried in quick succession with bronze objects, the Bavarian office said in a statement this week.
It is still unclear whether the three people were related to each other and, if so, how.
German officials say the 3,000-year-old sword is a “very rare” discovery. (Supplied: Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation)
“The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archaeologists can categorize this find more precisely,” said office head Mathias Pfeil.
“But we can already say that the state of conservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.”
It is unusual to find swords from the period, but they emerged from burial mounds that were opened in the 19th century or as individual finds, the office said.
The sword was found among bones in a grave in Germany. (Supplied: Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation)
