A 'replica' sword that can be found in the Chicago Field Museum is actually a 3,000-year-old Bronze Age relic. The artifact has been part of the museum's collection for almost a hundred years.
3,000-Year-Old Bronze Age Sword
Live Science reports how this interesting discovery was made by curators as they were preparing for the First Kings of Europe exhibition. The bronze sword that has a length of three feet has been left in storage ever since it was obtained by the museum during the 1930s. During an excavation, the artifact was pulled out of the Danube River in Budapest.
According to the Field Museum, the sword may have been part of a prehistoric ritual to commemorate a battle or the loss of loved ones.
The sword was first thought to be a replica that was well-constructedl. Analyses, however, revealed that it was a genuine relic.
The scientists from the Field Museum utilized an X-ray fluorescence detector, which looks like a ray gun. Upon comparing the chemical makeup of the sword with other Bronze Age swords, the bronze, tin, and copper content were almost identical to each other.
Anthropology curator Bill Parkinson noted his surprise regarding the results, given how things usually go the other way around. Original pieces are the ones that typically turn out to be counterfeit.
The sword is not set to be part of the First Kings of Europe exhibit which will officially start on March 31.
Bronze Age Weapons
History reports that archaeologists from Europe have unearthed Bronze Age weapons that date as far back as 4,000 years. Some of the bigger ones, such as the Oxborough Dirk dagger, which has a length of 28 inches, could have been considered prestige or ceremonial relics. Others, on the other hand, reveal combat markings that hint at violent conflicts between prehistoric communities.
Andrea Dolfini, senior lecturer of later prehistory at the UK's Newcastle University and author of Bronze Age Combat: An Experimental Approach, noted that throughout the era, weaponry underwent actual revolutions. The use of bronze was a huge innovation compared to copper. The material is a stronger type of alloy and is easier to work with when making longer and more complex-shaped weapons.
Among the many weapons in the Bronze Age, swords were specifically later inventions that may have resulted from the evolution of large spearheads or short daggers. History notes how the first genuine swords from the Bronze Age appeared from 1700 to 1600 BC. Dolfini notes that the patterns of damage on these swords, called rapiers, reveal that they may have been too soft to handle blade-to-blade combat.
A new kind of sword spread throughout Europe before 1300 BC. Both swords could be used to slash or stab opponents. However, later swords were better at sustaining strong offenses. Dolfini notes how later swords have a bulge in their blade that adjusts the balance point and gives weight. If the opponent's blade or armor is struck, this sword is better at sustaining the strong contact.
Dolfi notes that the longest swords in the Bronze Age had a weight of less than a kilogram. This made them lighter and smaller than long medieval swords.
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