Overview
- The Superintendency announced Monday that a Late Bronze Age sword dated to about 1300 BC was recovered from the crater Lake Mezzano during an underwater campaign.
- Members of the regional Superintendency led the excavation with the Carabinieri Underwater Unit carrying out the dive work that physically retrieved the blade.
- The sword is unusually well preserved with a still-sharp edge and was found next to a bronze razor, a pairing experts associate with elite warrior status in the Bronze Age.
- Archaeologists also recovered a hoard of bronze objects and intact pottery including axes, daggers, spearheads, pins and numerous vases that point to deliberate deposition of valuables.
- This is the third sword recovered at Lake Mezzano since the 1970s and officials say ongoing typological and metallurgical study plus further underwater surveys will clarify the site’s role in regional trade, craft production and ritual practice.