Remarkably preserved 3,300-year-old sword discovered in Italian lake with blade still sharp

Archaeologists in Italy have recovered a 3,300-year-old bronze sword from the bottom of Lake Mezzano, a small volcanic lake about 60 miles northwest of Rome in the Lazio region, and the weapon's blade is still sharp, according to Yahoo and FOX Weather. The sword dates to around 1300 BC, placing it in the Late Bronze Age, and was found during an underwater excavation on the lake's southern shore, an area that had been largely unexplored, Yahoo reported. The regional Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria (SABAP VT-EM) announced the find.

Experts believe the sword may have been deliberately placed in the lake as part of a ritual offering, a practice associated with several Bronze Age sites across Europe, FOX Weather reported. The announcement from the Superintendency said the object "is preserved in excellent condition and still has a sharp blade" and that its characteristics place it "firmly within the context of weapon production in central Italy during the Late Bronze Age, demonstrating the level of metallurgical expertise achieved by communities of the period."

The sword was lying near a bronze razor, suggesting the two objects belonged to the same individual, who may have been a warrior or someone of high standing, Yahoo reported. FOX Weather noted that similar combinations of sword and razor have been found in tombs and among the personal possessions of elite Bronze Age warriors elsewhere in Europe, and that "bronze weapons were not merely instruments of combat, but also symbols of status, identity and power." Divers also found intact vessels and a hoard of bronze objects including axes, daggers, spearheads, arrowheads, and pins.

This is the third sword discovered at the site in the past 50 years, reinforcing the area's reputation as an archaeological treasure trove, FOX Weather reported. The submerged village was discovered in 1971 by geologist Lamberto Ferri Ricchi, and research continued until the mid-1990s before stopping for nearly 30 years until new funding arrived, Yahoo reported. Since returning last year, archaeologists have mapped more than 600 wooden posts from the stilt-house settlement and found bronze ingots indicating residents produced their own metal goods.