Museum of the History of the Kamień RegionMuseum of the History of the Kamień Region
Posted on 04/12/2025 10:13:58 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
The Miami Herald reports that two Polish metal detectorists combing a beach after a storm found a rare 2,500-year-old weapon embedded in a block of clay that had recently fallen from a cliffside. Although its exact location remains undisclosed, the 10-inch long, intricately designed dagger was found in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land determined that it dated back to the Hallstatt period of the early Iron Age. "A true work of art!" said museum director Grzegorz Kurka. "I have not seen such a dagger in my experience with findings in Polish territories." The blade is decorated with rows of small crescent moon–like symbols, crosses, and other star-like shapes connected by lines running down the object that may represent constellations. Due to its design and decoration, experts suggest it may have been associated with a solar cult and thus had special ritual significance. Further analysis is underway to determine the composition of the dagger's alloy and identify signs of its usage. Researchers also hope to ascertain whether it was locally made, or cast—perhaps somewhere in southern Europe—and subsequently imported into the area.
(Excerpt) Read more at archaeology.org ...
Brass or, more likely, bronze.
Amazing. Ceremonial, perhaps…
That is really a nice find.
The Vikings were there. If they didn’t make it, they could have traded for it.
It really is. I wish they had provided some decent photos instead of a low res montage of sections of it.
Maybe they're trying to prevent someone from making an exact copy of it (forgery).
Bronze would need a helluva hit to stamp those designs!
Yes! That was my first thought. Let’s see a real photo taken by someone who is in front of the doggone thing. Even better, a photo of when they actually found it in it’s location.
Lost opportunity.
Amazing find, it is really beautiful artwork.
Depends on the alloy...
I notice no real edge, but a decent point...
Looks ceremonial to me.
Well I bought me a blade,
One I could afford.
Too long to be a knife,
Too short to be a sword.
I don’t like to brag.
I don’t like to say what I’ll do.
But I’m like poison ivy
And I’ll break out all over you.
-Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater
What stories it could tell if it could only talk.
wouldn’t a sharp edge deteriorate and sand down over the ages?
“Brass or, more likely, bronze.”
Which means it could even be much older and from the Bronze age... :)
You could get some corrosion on a sharp edge, but it would be obvious.
It was buried in clay, which would not dull it.
Bronze can be sharpened with a stone, just like steel.
More photos said to be the site:
https://archaeologymag.com/2025/04/hallstatt-dagger-unearthed-on-polish-baltic-coast/
I have six bronze age daggers and short swords. It looks like bronze to me too. None of mine are as intricate as this one.
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