BAVARIA, Germany — Archaeologists in Germany have discovered a find millennia in the making in a small town in Bavaria, a nearly perfectly preserved sword believed to be over 3,000 years old.
The Bavarian State Office for Monument Protection reported the sword was found in the town of Nördlingen in southern Bavaria while archaeologists were excavating a gravesite.
The office said at this time, the sword has been dated to the end of the 14th century B.C., in the Middle Bronze Age. According to the office, the sword is an octagonal, full-hilt sword made entirely of bronze.
The sword was reportedly found in a grave buried alongside other Bronze Age artifacts and the bodies of three people, a man, a woman and a "juvenile", as the office described. The office said it is not yet clear how the people in the grave are related.
The office said sword finds of that era are rare, especially ones in such good condition, mostly due to many graves of the era having been looted in the many, many years that have passed since they were buried.
The sword was reportedly so well preserved, the office said it "almost still shines".
According to the Office for Monument Protection, the octagonal-shaped sword would have been expensive to make as the handle is actually cast over the blade. The sword reportedly does not show signs of battle, but the organization said that given its impressive production and balancing, they assume that it could have been an actual weapon.
The office said that swords of this design are typically found either in the southern region of Germany or in northern Germany and Denmark.
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