Archaeologists in eastern Germany have unearthed one of Saxony’s most significant Bronze Age discoveries. Uncovered in the suburb of Klein Neundorf in Görlitz, the 310 pieces of bronze date to the 9th century BCE. They weigh over 16 kilograms and consтιтute the largest Bronze Age discovery ever in Upper Lusatia and the second largest in Saxony.

The hoard block undergoing laboratory processing. Credit: Saxony State Office for Archaeology

Since 1900, the area’s connection to the Bronze Age has been known, as potato-harvesting children found three bronze daggers. One disappeared early, one vanished during World War II, and just one remains today in the Görlitz Museum. One socketed axe was donated to the museum by the children’s father in 1902, leading to speculation that more artifacts lay beneath the ground.

That suspicion was substantiated when Dr. Jasper von Richthofen, director of the Görlitz Collections, led a modern excavation in 2023 with the Saxon State Office for Archaeology and local volunteers. A significant discovery was made when detectorist Henry Herrmann found fragments of bronze sickles, and subsequent excavation uncovered 108 scattered items disturbed by plowing. Soon after, the team revealed a dense cluster of artifacts well-preserved in their original context. This deposit was dug out as a block and examined in the laboratory from September 2023 to April 2024.

The collection includes tools, weaponry, jewelry, fittings for garments, and raw metal ingots. The most common finds are 136 sickles and 50 axes. Among the notable finds is a Spindlersfeld-type brooch and a sword, broken into four pieces, two of which were broken in antiquity—meaning they were deposited deliberately. In its reᴀssembled state, the sword is just 44 centimeters long, with a pommel made up of two bronze shells enclosing an organic disc, likely bone or ivory. Specialists have suggested that it was made in southern Germany, pointing to long-distance contacts within Central Europe during the Late Bronze Age.

Archaeologists begin uncovering the Bronze Age treasure. Credit: Saxony State Office for Archaeology

Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer said: “Already 3,000 years ago, the people in this area practiced various craft techniques and were in contact beyond their immediate area. These precious artifacts are now able to tell us much more about this era.”

State Archaeologist Regina Smolnik also pointed to the importance of the find, stating: “A discovery of a hoard is not a daily occurrence and presents us with special challenges in restoration, documentation, and analysis. Thorough research will bring us new knowledge about the rituals and relations of the Bronze Age Lusatian culture.”

Researchers determined that the objects were placed into a pit some 30 to 35 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters deep. No container has survived, but impressions in the ground suggest the objects were arranged neatly, perhaps in small groups. Because bronze was valuable and rare, scholars believe the treasure was buried as a ritual offering rather than for safekeeping.

The finds are now undergoing restoration and scientific analysis, including corrosion examination and use-wear tests. A doctoral project at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich is already focused on the ᴀssemblage. The hoard will go on display in a special exhibition in Görlitz once work is complete, returning the treasures to the region where they were interred some 3,000 years ago.

More information: Saxony State Office for Archaeology