The German archaeologists recently found a priceless treasure that is more than 3,000 years old. Even after all these years, the treasure remains intact. Archaeologists reportedly discovered an octagonal sword at a burial site in Bavaria, southern Germany, and the 3,000-year-old sword is still almost shining. According to a statement issued by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments, the sword was so well preserved that it still shines.

Archaeologists recovered the sword from a cemetery at Donau-Ries in Bavaria in the first week of June 2023. They believe that the sword was buried in memory of its owner. The sword, made of bronze, was manufactured in the late 14th Century BC or in the Middle of Bronze Age. As the shape of the handle of this sword is also octagonal, archaeologists consider this discovery a rare one.

Archaeologists also believe that many more rare and historical treasures can be found at this burial site. Therefore, they are still carrying out excavation works in the area. Professor Mathias Pfeil, the General Conservator of the Bavarian State Office for Monument Conservation, stressed: “The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archaeologists can categorise this find more precisely. But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.” He added: “It is unusual to find swords from the period, but they have emerged from burial mounds that were opened in the 19th Century or as individual finds.”

According to archaeologists, such octagonal swords can only be made by skilled smiths. As there are two rivets over the handle that were cast over the blade using a technique known as overlay casting. “However, the blade does not have any visible cut marks or signs of wear, suggesting that it had a ceremonial or symbolic purpose,” read the statement issued by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.

However, a section of experts believes that someone used this sword as a weapon. They are of the opinion that the sword was not made just for memory of a person, as it had an owner who used the sword. Experts have come to the conclusion after considering the sharp edge of the sword. They have suggested that the sword must have easily served as an active weapon since the centre of gravity on the front end of the blade suggests that it could have slashed opponents effectively.

The burial site from where the weapon was recovered also contained the remains of three persons. While two of those remains are of males, one is of a female. These three persons were buried on top of each other. However, it is not clear whether there were any blood relations between them. Interestingly, a huge amount of material was buried along with them.

According to experts, such bronze swords were produced in southern and northern parts of Germany and Denmark. They have claimed that this type of bronze sword was first discovered around 1600 BC, and such a sword continued to be used until around 600 AD. The archaeologists previously excavated Bronze Age swords at different burial sites in Europe. Among them, an ivory and gold-encrusted bronze sword was recovered from Greece in 2015.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das