Archaeologists undertaking a routine land survey in the Czech Republic unearthed a “hoard” of Bronze Age artifacts, including weapons and jewelry, dating back nearly 4,000 years, Ancient Origins reported.
Hoards are “buried collections of precious objects hidden for safekeeping, then lost or forgotten due to death or misfortune,” according to National Museums Scotland.
Using metal detectors, scientists discovered the buried treasure about 35 miles northwest of Prague. When the exhumed the hoard, they found eight arm rings, two pins, eight axes, and a spearhead. According to some experts, the combined items could be worth as much as $42,500.
"Most items are characteristic of the Middle Bronze Age, with only one ax belonging to the earlier period,” archaeologist Martin Trefný, who also serves as head of the Museum of Podřipsko in Roudnice nad Labem, told Live Science. “Axes could have been used as tools or weapons. The latter function also applies to the spearhead. Bracelets were forearm ornaments, and pins served either to fasten clothing or, for example, to style women's hair.”
Lucie Heyzlová/Český rozhlas/Podřipské Museum
Lucie Heyzlová/Český rozhlas/Podřipské Museum
Trefný and the rest of his researchers are still unsure why the hoard was buried where it was, but they have a few ideas. “First, such hoards could be used as votive gifts, or gifts to the deities,” Trefný told Ancient Origins.
“The second theory,” the archaeologist continued, “is that the hoard is the result of some incident that happened in the village. For instance, the village could have been attacked by enemies and because the items are really valuable, people wanted to hide their property to prevent it from being stolen by the enemy. The third theory is that it could be a storage pit of some producer or a trader.”
The exact location of the hoard is being kept private to prevent amateur treasure hunters from desecrating the site. The found items will be subjected to “extensive conservation treatment,” after which they’ll be put on display for the public at the Podřipské Museum.
Trefný stressed that, though more valuable hoards have certainly been discovered in the Czech Republic, the historical and scientific value of this most recent discovery easily surpasses the others.
During the Bronze Age, the Czech Republic was known for its areas of specialized production in metallurgy, pottery, and textiles. One of the country’s most notable sites is the settlement of Bohemia, in Březno, where last month archaeologists found a burial mound dating back to the fourth millennium B.C., making it the oldest burial mound found in Europe.
