Bronze sword found in Italian lake

In Italy, archaeologists have discovered a mysterious 3,000-year-old bronze sword at the bottom of Lake Mezzano, in the Latium region, central Italy. The artifact was uncovered during recent excavations of a site from the Bronze Age, which was submerged by water.

Submerged Bronze Age site

The research was conducted by the superintendence of archaeology, fine arts, and landscape of the province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria, with studies beginning in the 1970s. The site, located in the crater of a volcano, was occupied from the beginning of the second millennium BCE until the end of the Bronze Age, around 1200 BCE.

Ancient wooden structures

The inhabitants built their houses on stilts, using wooden piles driven into the lakebed. In 2025, archaeologists conducted a comprehensive study of the site, recording more than 600 wooden piles at depths ranging from 2.5 to 10 meters.

Bronze artifacts uncovered

About twenty-five bronze objects were uncovered, including axes, spear points, brooches, rings, a pin, a sickle, and fragments of ingots. These discoveries suggest that metalworking was practiced directly on the site. Among these artifacts was also a sword known in Italian as spada a lingua da presa, which dates from the 13th century BCE.

Remarkable sword preservation

It has a metal extension shaped like a tongue, which allows the handle to be attached. This type of weapon corresponds to the metallurgical traditions of central Italy at that time. However, it has a remarkable characteristic: the edge of the blade was still sharp at the time of its discovery, a state of preservation extremely rare for an object buried for three millennia.

Ritual or weapon?

It is the third bronze sword found in the lake basin since the start of the excavations. According to the Prehistory Museum of Tuscia and Rocca Farnese in Valentano, one of them could not have been used as a weapon. It would have been specially made to serve as a ritual offering.

Rituals and weapons in Europe

This hypothesis is consistent with other discoveries made in Europe: bronze weapons are regularly found at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and bogs. Many of them were probably deposited there as part of rituals. At that time, weapons were considered markers of identity and prestige.

Clues to the owner

The sword was found near a razor. These two associated objects seem to indicate that their owner belonged to a warrior elite. Metallic objects have been uncovered at similar depths throughout the submerged site. The archaeologists do not know whether they were deliberately placed there or if other processes related to the site's submersion can explain it.

Future excavations planned

New excavations will be necessary to clarify this mystery. Some of the artifacts discovered will soon be presented in an exhibition, offering a new glimpse into life on a site submerged for nearly 3,000 years.