Metal Detectorists Were Scanning the Beach—and Found a Stunning 2,800-Year-Old Dagger
A metal detectorist recently discovered a 2,800-year-old dagger that fell from a Polish cliffside after a heavy storm.
Decorated with crescents and stars, experts believe the dagger could have been used in ritualistic offerings.
Further analysis could confirm the uses of the well-preserved 9.5-inch piece.
When a heavy storm ripped into a Baltic Sea cliffside on the coast of Poland, it sent chunks of the cliff crumbling to the beach below. Soon thereafter, metal detectorists Katarzyna Herdzik and Jacek Ukowski packed up metal detectors and set out to scan that beach—and made the discovery of a lifetime.
Embedded in a hunk of the destroyed cliff was a 2,800-year-old piece of history in the form of an ornately crafted, 9.5-inch dagger. The Museum of the History of Kamien Land has identified the blade as a being from the Hallstatt period of the early Iron Age.
'I didn't expect to make such a big discovery, but the moment I saw this item, I just knew it could be something valuable,' said Herdzik in a translated statement from the museum.
'A real work of art,' Grzegorz Kruka, director of the museum, told Polish language news site Interia. 'It terms of workmanship, it is very high-class, beautifully decorated. Each engraved element is different. When it comes to finds in Poland, I have not encountered such a dagger.'
Still in excellent condition, the 'richly ornate dagger' features crescent moons and crosses that resemble stars. The center of the blade includes a decoration that runs nearly its entire length, and the ridged handle has diagonal marks and a pointed head.
The intricate design has experts thinking the dagger was once part of a 'solar cult' and carried some ritualistic significance. The other leading theory is that the blade was once owned by a rich warrior. 'This dagger is undoubtedly a true work of art and example of a high level of metallurgy,' according to the museum's statement.
Once they discovered the dagger, the pair of detectorists contacted the museum, allowing the find to be properly secured and saved. Soon, researchers will have a chance to analyze the weapon to determine the composition of its alloy—identifying the levels of copper and tin—and examine the traces of wear that may show if the dagger was used in combat or for ritualistic purposes.
The museum team also hopes to discover if the dagger was crafted in the region, or if it was cast in a workshop in southern Europe and then imported to the area. Once the investigation is complete, the dagger will likely go on display in a Polish museum, keeping the surprise discovery at home.
'The cliff was broken, the lump had to fall from above,' Ukowski told Interia, adding it was his most valuable discovery, even if it was 'random.'
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