EXCALIBUR UNEARTHED

Divers Find 3,300-Year-Old Treasure at Bottom of Lake

The original owner is believed to have been an elite warrior with prestige and great influence.

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Archaeologists have found a 3,300-year-old sword at the bottom of a volcanic lake in Italy. The country’s Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria announced the discovery in October, made by its Underwater Service. The sword was revealed in “Arthurian” fashion during an underwater excavation at Lake Mezzano in central Italy. The blade was still sharp. Dating back to 1300 B.C., experts believe the artifact was purposefully placed in the lake during a ritual offering—a practice linked to several Bronze Age European sites. The lake once contained a thriving Bronze Age village that sat upon wooden stilts above the water, according to experts. The superintendent said the artifact was preserved in “excellent condition,” representing “an important addition to our understanding of the communities that frequented the lake basin over three thousand years ago.” This sword is now the third found at the same site in the past 50 years, giving the area a reputation as an archaeological treasure trove. The latest expedition unearthed pottery and other bronze objects like axes, daggers, and spearheads. A razor was found near the sword, indicating it could’ve belonged to an elite warrior with prestige and great influence.