2,500 years old bent sword from the Bronze Age discovered in Denmark

A stunning discovery of Late Bronze Age artifacts, including a ritualistically bent sword, has been made in a bog near Veksø, west of Copenhagen, Denmark. The find was made by amateur metal detectorist Claus Falsby.

2,500 years old bent sword from the Bronze Age discovered in DenmarkSword from the Late Bronze Age. The sword was ritually bent before being laid down as an offering. Credit: Palle Østergaard Sørensen, ROMU

This discovery, referred to as the “Egedal Find,” was made in the Værebro Ådal conservation area, a protected region of bogs and freshwater systems. Among the uncovered items were a bronze sword with iron rivets, two small axes, three ankle rings, a fragment of a large pin, and a mysterious, unidentified object. Days after the initial excavation, Falsby also located a finely crafted bronze neck ring about 70 meters from the original site.

Emil Winther Struve, an archaeologist with ROMU, the museum organization overseeing cultural heritage in the Egedal Municipality, described the find as exceedingly rare. “We have numerous hoards from the Early and Middle Bronze Age where bronze artifacts are discovered in bogs, but finds from the Late Bronze Age are far fewer,” he explained.

The bent sword, Struve noted, is especially significant. It combines bronze and iron, materials representing the evolving technological landscape of the period. The sword’s iron rivets are among Denmark’s earliest known uses of iron, suggesting it was crafted around 500 BCE. The design indicates it was not locally made but imported from regions north of the Alps, likely influenced by the Hallstatt culture, a warrior society that dominated the late Bronze Age in Europe.

“The Hallstatt culture spread rapidly, characterized by a warrior ethos with an emphasis on conquest and conflict,” Struve said. “Their swords were sturdier, heavier, and more suitable for slashing rather than stabbing, reflecting a shift in combat techniques.”

The discovery site was a bog, a common location for ritual deposits during the Bronze Age. The artifacts had been deliberately damaged, with the sword bent to render it unusable as a weapon, a practice believed to imbue the offerings with greater symbolic value.

Struve explained that although votive traditions were declining by the Late Bronze Age, they had not entirely disappeared. The Egedal Find demonstrates that the local elite near the Værebro River Valley continued these costly rituals, perhaps as a way to maintain ties to their cultural heritage during a period of transformation.

The bronze neck ring discovered days later is also notable, being only the second of its kind found in Denmark. Researchers suggest it may have originated from trade networks connected to the Polish Baltic coast, underscoring the region’s role in broader European exchange systems during the era.

The Egedal Find joins a legacy of significant discoveries from the region, including the Smørumovre Hoard of 1851, featuring 163 early Bronze Age objects, and the Veksø Helmets from 1942, renowned examples of mid-Bronze Age craftsmanship.

The artifacts have been submitted to the Danish National Museum for preservation and further study. Struve is particularly eager to analyze the materials in the sword to pinpoint its origin. “We don’t have many swords of this type in Denmark. The preservation of the iron rivets in the handle is remarkable,” he said. “The sword will undoubtedly look incredible once the National Museum completes its conservation.”

Source: ROMU

Related Posts

Stone Age European hunter-gatherers reached North Africa by boat, ancient DNA reveals

Stone Age European hunter-gatherers reached North Africa by boat, ancient DNA reveals

New genetic studies offer the very first clear evidence that European hunter-gatherers crossed the Mediterranean and came into contact with North African populations as early as 8,500…

Bronze Age pottery reveals El Argar’s economic and political frontiers

Bronze Age pottery reveals El Argar’s economic and political frontiers

A trailblazing study conducted by researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Max Planck Insтιтute for Social Anthropology mapped out the economic and political…

Ancient Greco-Roman sculptures were scented, study reveals

Ancient Greco-Roman sculptures were scented, study reveals

Scholars have known for centuries that the ancient Greek and Roman statues, far from being the immaculate white marble figures put on view in museums today, were…

2,000-year-old large wooden houses uncovered in Zhejiang, revealing secrets of the Yue Kingdom

2,000-year-old large wooden houses uncovered in Zhejiang, revealing secrets of the Yue Kingdom

Archaeologists in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, have unearthed a well-preserved ancient settlement dating back 2,500 years, belonging to the Yue State of the early Warring States period (475-221…

Mikveh ritual bath discovered in Ostia Antica, Italy

Mikveh ritual bath discovered in Ostia Antica, Italy

Archaeologists in Ostia Antica, the ancient port city near Rome, have made an amazing discovery—a Mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, from the late 4th or early 5th…

First burials: evidence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens sharing culture 110,000 years ago

First burials: evidence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens sharing culture 110,000 years ago

A recent discovery in Tinshemet Cave, central Israel, is changing the way we look at early human interactions. Archaeologists have found human burials from the Middle Paleolithic…