3,000-year-old Well-Preserved Octagonal Sword Found in Bronze Age Burial Area in Germany

(Photo : Pixabay / Azboomer)

Archaeologists were able to unearth a rare octagonal sword in a Bronze Age burial in Germany.

Well-Preserved Octagonal Sword

According to Live Science, the sword was found to be in extremely good condition that it was still shining when it was first discovered. The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments announced the remarkable discovery through a press release.

Interestingly, the weapon had an octagonal hilt consisting of full bronze. It currently has a greenish tinge, given the copper content in bronze.

Arkeonews reports that making octagonal swords is quite a complex process due to how the handle gets cast on the blade. Decorations over the sword were made with hallmarks and inlays. Live Science adds that only skilled blacksmiths were capable of producing octagonal swords.

While the well-preserved sword exhibited efforts in manufacturing and lacked signs that it was used for a blow, it can be perceived as a real fighting weapon. In fact, the blade's front has a center of gravity, which indicates that it could have pulled off a slashing balance. However, due to the lack of visible signs of wear or cut marks, the sword could have also had a symbolic or ceremonial function.

At present, researchers know of two areas in Germany where octagonal swords were manufactured. One was a local area situated in southern Germany, while the other was in northern Germany and Denmark. As for the newfound sword, the area where it was cast remains a mystery.

Arkeonews adds that comparing the decorations and methods of casting demonstrates that some octagonal sword pieces from the North could have been authentic imports or the works of craftsmen that were wandering. Others, on the other hand, could have been copies of the designs from south Germany.

New discovery: an exceptionally well-preserved 3,000 years old bronze sword unearthed during excavations in Nördlingen.
The sword of the Achtkantschwert type ("octagonal sword" - due to the shape of the hilt) was found in a burial, dating late 14th c. BChttps://t.co/1rjkz4Ug7D pic.twitter.com/fE5gxfoGQ7
— Nina Willburger (@DrNWillburger) June 15, 2023

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Spotted Inside Bronze Age Burial in Germany

The octagonal sword was spotted at the burial of a child, woman, and man in the Nördlingen town of Bavaria. It remains unclear, however, if these people were related to each other. The burial area also consisted of weaponry and grave goods.

The rare piece has been dated to the end of B.C. 1400. Sword findings that date back to this period and area are quite rare, given how several burials from the Bronze Age were looted as millennia passed.

Matthias Pfeil, who heads the Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection and who participated in the conservation of the sword, explains that the burial and the sword need to be examined for the find to be more precisely classified.

Nevertheless, the sword was found in exceptional condition. Such a find is remarkably rare.

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