‘Rare’ 3,000-Year-Old Sword Discovered in Germany Is So Well Preserved It SHINE, Experts Say

Archaeologists have come across an extremely rare Bronze Age sword in an old cemetery in Germany.

The weapon, believed to be 3,000 years old, was unearthed last week in the small town of Nördlingen.

Experts were shocked that it was so well preserved that it really shone, despite lying in a grave of three people.

The three bodies included a man, a woman and a teenager, with investigators wondering if they were related.

“The sword and the burial still need to be examined for our archaeologists to further classify this find,” said Mathias Pfeil, head of the Bavarian State Heritage Preservation Office. ‘But it can already be said that the preservation is exceptional! A find like this is really rare.’

Despite its age, the sword’s zigzag pattern is still fully visible, interrupted by studs and rivets.

Although experts think it was difficult to make, they are convinced that it was a real weapon, designed for sharp cuts.

At the time there were only a few European hotspots for the trade of these types of swords, including southern Germany, northern Germany and Denmark.

Swords from Nördlingen often also belonged to the ‘Urns’ – distinguished by their use of cremation during the late Bronze Age.

This came just before the Tumulus culture, which saw huge advances in bronze weapons and armor.

But the team remains unsure where this newly found sword was made and will investigate further in due course.

They even point to “wandering craftsmen” and imports as a potential source of the sword.

The German discovery comes just months after a 3,000-year-old toddler’s shoe was found in a riverbed in northern Kent.

Experts were shocked to discover how shiny the sword was despite being buried in a grave of three people

Archaeologists are not sure where the sword was made or who the people at this tomb are

Pictured: the small town of Nördlingen in southern Germany where the sword was found

The rare 6-inch Bronze Age leather shoe is believed to be the oldest found in the UK, discovered by Steve Tomlinson, 51, in September.

Mr Tomlinson was not initially fond of the find, but sent it to a unit in East Kilbride, Scotland, for radiocarbon dating.

Five weeks later, he was shocked to discover it was ancient, after thinking it was medieval.

“I thought it was a good thing, but I still thought it was medieval,” Mr Tomlinson said.

“I sent it in for radiocarbon dating and five weeks later I got a call from a gentleman from the lab who said to me, ‘I think you’d better sit down for this.’

“I’d had a good day of wallowing that day — I’d found quite a few Roman pottery shards — but I wasn’t expecting that.”