One of the largest warehouses of Iron Age weapons found in Germany
Archaeologists from the Regional Association of Westphalia-Lippe (LWL), using metal detectors, discovered “one of the largest Iron Age weapons treasures in western Germany.” It contains one and a half hundred items, reports Live Science.
“The Arsenal is the largest in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and also connects the region of the state of Sauerland with the complex processes in Europe of the Iron Age,” – says the text of the study.
The finds included swords, spearheads, shield shards, horse equipment, three silver coins, bronze jewelry, and even one fibula. Some of the weapons were badly bent. Scientists have suggested that ancient warriors deliberately destroyed the arsenal of a defeated enemy, bending weapons so that they were useless in battle.
Theories that a treasure may be located in an abandoned settlement have existed for a long time. Back in the 1950s, workers building the pavilion there unearthed two swords and spearheads. The swords were bent and their tips were deliberately deformed. But it was only in the late 2010s that archaeologists were able to conduct more thorough research.
A rare horse harness was also an important find. Historians have determined that it was intended for horses pulling a chariot. She provided good control and maneuverability, which were vital for warriors in the thick of battle.
The settlement itself was located on the Wilzenberg mountain. People settled in these places around 300 BC. The walls of the ancient settlement known as Walburg have survived to this day. Most of the artifacts in the hoard date from around 300 BC, while swords and coins date back to the first century BC.
Earlier it was reported that the personal belongings of an ancient warrior were found in Germany. Their age was estimated at three thousand years.
