Archaeologists Fished a 3,300-Year-Old Sword From a Volcanic Crater Lake—and It’s Still Sharp

Bronze Age metalworkers from what’s now Italy must have been really good at their craft. Either that, or nature decided to spare their work from the wear and tear of time—as demonstrated by a rare underwater discovery of a still-sharp sword. In a recent announcement, Italy’s Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria shared details from its latest archaeological campaigns at Lake Mezzano, a volcanic crater lake in central Italy. The team, led by the organization’s Underwater Archaeology Service in partnership with the Carabinieri Underwater Unit of Rome, recovered a variety of artifacts from the bottom of the lake, such as axes, arrowheads, daggers, spearheads, pins, and a razor. But the most notable find was a honed blade dating back to the 13th century BCE. “The new discovery further confirms the exceptional scientific significance of Lake Mezzano and the importance of this site for the study of the protohistory of central Italy,” the superintendency commented in the statement (translated via Google). Connecting the dots A researcher holds up the sword. Credit: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria The latest find is the third sword discovered at the site since the 1970s, according to the statement. Given the sheer age of the site, archaeologists have limited knowledge of the exact circumstances under which the artifacts ended up at the bottom of the lake. However, the sword’s design and apparent age fit “perfectly within the framework of central Italian weaponry production in the Late Bronze Age,” the superintendency explained. Taken together with the other submerged artifacts as well as other related research projects, the superintendency said it’s very likely that a pile-dwelling settlement occupied the area during the Bronze Age. The surrounding landscape would also have been favorable to productive activities, trade networks, and complex forms of social organization, it added. It’s also worth noting that the metal objects were generally found at roughly the same elevation across the surveyed area. Accident or ritual? Since human behavior typically doesn’t exist in a bubble, it’s also possible to look for clues based on other European contexts. For instance, according to the statement, a deposit of weapons and other metal objects in a lake is “frequently interpreted as the result of intentional depositions linked to ritual and cult practices connected to water.” Other archaeological findings have also suggested that some bronze weapons were created as symbols of power and prestige. The research team examines the sword retrieved from the lake. Credit: Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria “For this very reason, each new find takes on a value that goes well beyond the individual object, contributing to the understanding of the symbolic behaviors of protohistoric communities,” the superintendency wrote in the statement. Given the latest findings, the archaeology team plans on continuing its research at the site “with the aim of deepening our understanding of the pile-dwelling settlement and the local context in which it developed,” the agency explained. The artifacts are also slated to be presented in a special exhibition in the near future.