A 2,700-year-old bronze sword was discovered standing upright in the ground in northern Poland, a find that has deepened the mystery surrounding its unusual placement. The weapon dates to the Late Bronze Age, between 900 and 700 B.C.
The artifact was found by hobbyist Marcin Wiśniewski in the Gdańsk Forest District, near the Baltic coast. Upon discovering the sword, Wiśniewski alerted heritage officials, who then recovered the artifact using proper archaeological methods. Pictures released by the Pomeranian Provincial Heritage Conservator show the remarkably preserved bronze weapon sticking up from sandy soil during the excavation.
This is not the first Bronze Age sword unearthed in the region. In the 1920s, two similar swords were found in a peat bog at Rynarzewo. Those artifacts were transferred to the Provincial Museum in Gdańsk but were lost during World War II.
Officials stated that further details about the sword will be available once it is transferred to a museum and studied. The Provincial Heritage Conservator will determine which museum will house the artifact, a decision that has not yet been made.
Ancient weapon discoveries are rare but not unheard of in Poland. In late 2023, archaeologists recovered a cache of early medieval weapons from a lake in west-central Poland, believed to be connected to the country’s first rulers. Additionally, a 700-year-old medieval sword was found by an angler fishing in the Vistula River.