Bronze Age Sword Unearthed Upright in Polish Forest

A Bronze Age sword, estimated to be between 2,900 and 3,100 years old, was recently discovered in an unusual position—standing upright in the ground. The find was made by Marcin Wiśniewski, a metal detectorist and hobbyist, in the Gdańsk Forest District near Poland's Baltic coast.

Officials from the Pomeranian Provincial Heritage Conservator announced the discovery, showcasing pictures of the well-preserved bronze weapon sticking out of sandy soil. This remarkable find dates to the Late Bronze Age, between 900 and 700 B.C. Wiśniewski, who had previously found a Bronze Age hoard nearby, immediately alerted heritage authorities.

Staff from the Department of Archaeological Monuments recovered the artifact using proper archaeological methods. This is not the first Bronze Age sword found in the Gdańsk Forest District; two antenna-hilt bronze swords were discovered in a peat bog at Rynarzewo in the 1920s. The Provincial Heritage Conservator will decide which museum will receive the newly found sword.

Ancient weapon discoveries are infrequent but not unprecedented in Poland. Last year, a cache of Iron Age weapons was recovered from a lake in west-central Poland, and an angler found a Bronze Age sword in the Vistula River. Specialists anticipate providing more details about the sword once it undergoes museum study.