Görlitz, Germany, August 29, 2025
Archaeologists in Saxony, Germany, have unearthed a significant hoard of 310 Bronze Age pieces, marking one of the largest discoveries of its kind in the region. The treasure, dating back 3,000 years to the 9th century BCE, was found in a field near the Görlitz suburb of Klein Neundorf and provides new insights into the craft techniques and ritual practices of ancient communities.
Key Headlines
* Record-Breaking Discovery: The hoard of 310 objects, weighing over 16 kilograms, is the largest Bronze Age find ever in Upper Lusatia and the second-largest in all of Saxony.
* Ritual Offering, Not Burial: Experts believe the treasure was deliberately arranged and buried as a ritual offering to the gods, a common practice for valuable items in the era.
* A Glimpse into the Past: The find includes a variety of tools, weapons, and jewelry, with 136 sickles and 50 axes among the most numerous items.
* Sword’s Unique Pommel: The hoard contains a sword that was intentionally broken and deposited in the ground, with a unique pommel made of two bronze shells encasing an organic disc, likely bone or ivory.
The discovery was a result of a meticulous excavation following the initial find of bronze fragments by a metal detectorist. While some of the artifacts had been disturbed by decades of plowing, archaeologists uncovered a dense cluster of objects that had remained in their original context, which was then removed as a soil block for micro-excavation in a laboratory.
The immense size and variety of the hoard are what make it particularly notable. Among the 310 pieces are tools like sickles and axes, which were essential for agriculture and everyday life. The presence of a Spindlersfeld-type brooch and other jewelry points to the artistic and social complexity of the community. A particularly striking find is a short sword, broken into four pieces, with at least two of the breaks occurring in antiquity. The broken state of the sword suggests it was not simply lost but intentionally ritualized before being placed in the ground.
Scholars believe the hoard was an offering to a deity or a deposit made for ritual purposes. At the time, bronze was a rare and valuable commodity, and burying such a large number of items would have been a significant act. The discovery sheds new light on the long-distance trade relations of the era, as the style of some of the artifacts, including the unique sword, suggests they originated in southern Germany. The hoard will now undergo further analysis and conservation before being put on public display in a special exhibition in Görlitz.
