Metal detectorist finds 2,500-year-old S-shaped sacrificial sword in bog in Denmark
An amateur metal detectorist stumbled upon a deposit of rare ritual offerings from the Bronze Age buried in a bog in Denmark.
In the spring, Claus Falsby took his new metal detector to a small town in the Egedal municipality where he uncovered a sword believed to have been crafted 2,500 years ago, according to a Nov. 25 news release from Denmark’s Roskilde Museum, or ROMU for short.
The presence of iron rivets in the sword’s handle indicates it was crafted during the late Bronze Age, representing the transition to the Iron Age, ROMU archaeologist Emil Winther Struve said in the news release, adding that finds from this time period are very rare.
While further analysis is required, researchers said the rivets in the sword could be the earliest known finding of iron in Denmark, according to the release.
Researchers said the sword’s design suggests that it was not made in Denmark, but likely imported from a region north of the Alps where the Hallstatt culture was predominant at the time.
The sword was bent in an elongated “S” shape in what researchers say was part of a ritual offering, making it unusable as a weapon but still valuable based on the materials used.
Archaeologists visited the site where Falsby found the sword and also uncovered additional artifacts including two bronze axes and several ankle rings, researchers said.
A few days after his initial discovery, Falsby uncovered a bronze necklace about 70 meters from where he found the sword, according to the news release.
Researchers said the necklace — the second of its kind ever found in Denmark — was produced along the Polish Baltic coast and likely made its way to the area by trade.
The Egedal municipality is about a 20-mile drive northwest from Copenhagen.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Roskilde Museum.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 10:19 AM with the headline "Metal detectorist finds 2,500-year-old S-shaped sacrificial sword in bog in Denmark."
