Bronze Age sword discovered in an Italian lake is still sharp after 3,300 years
Archaeologists found several ancient weapons, intact vases and a bronze razor in the volcanic crater lake.
A remarkably preserved bronze sword dating back 3,300 years was recovered from the depths of a volcanic lake in Italy. The ancient weapon, which has retained its edge, was found in Lake Mezzano, situated 60 miles northwest of Rome in an ancient volcanic crater. The Late Bronze Age (14th to 13th centuries B.C.) sword has been unearthed as the third such artifact from the lake in the last 50 years.
Bronze Age inhabitants constructed wooden stilt houses, or pile dwellings, in what is now Lake Mezzano, and archaeologists uncovered remnants of this submerged settlement during their recent explorations. The sword, along with numerous intact vases, axes, arrowheads, daggers, spearheads, pins, and a bronze razor, were discovered situated near each other, hinting that the artifacts may have belonged to a high-ranking individual, such as an elite warrior.
The placement of the metal weapons in the lake could be linked to a widespread Bronze Age ritual practice where ceremonial hoards of jewelry and ritually killed artifacts were thrown into bodies of water. This practice persisted through the ages, including during Etruscan times, when wells were ritually closed with artifacts and human sacrifices.
The sword and the other artifacts found in Lake Mezzano provide archaeologists with fresh insights about the people who thrived in prehistoric Italy before the rise of the Romans and Etruscans. Further research is planned for the future.
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