Archaeologists Found a 3,300-Year-Old Sword at the Bottom of a Volcanic Lake in Italy—and It's Still Sharp.
Underwater archaeologists from Italy's Viterbo and Southern Etruria heritage office recovered a Late Bronze Age sword from Lake Mezzano, a lake in an ancient volcanic crater, with its cutting edge still present.
The Soprintendenza for Viterbo province and Southern Etruria announced on October 6, 2026 that a bronze sword dated to the 13th century BC had been recovered from Lake Mezzano, near Valentano. The sword turned up in the last phases of a research campaign at the lake's submerged pile-dwelling site. It came from part of the southern shore that had seen only limited investigation before.
According to the Soprintendenza, the sword is so well preserved that it still has a sharp edge. It is the third sword found at Mezzano since the 1970s. The office says its type and date fit the weapon production of central Italy in the late Bronze Age, and that it reflects the metallurgical skill of the communities of that time.
The work was run by the Soprintendenza's underwater archaeology service under Margherita Eichberg and was financed through the triennial public works program. The Carabinieri Underwater Unit of Rome assisted with survey and documentation and with safety during the dives.
The same campaign also brought up many intact vessels and other bronze objects: axes, arrowheads, daggers, spearheads, pins and a razor. The settlement was occupied from the Early Bronze Age, beginning in the early second millennium BC, and continued through later phases of prehistory. Lake Mezzano fills the crater of an ancient volcano.
The Soprintendenza notes that metal objects in lakes elsewhere in Europe are often read as deliberate deposits linked to ritual practices involving water. At Mezzano, the sword lay close to a bronze razor, a pairing documented at other Bronze Age sites and tied to people of high status, probably warrior elites. The metal finds also lay at fairly uniform depths in different sectors, which the office says will help reconstruct how the deposit formed and test scientific models still being developed.
Underwater restorers from CSR Restauro Beni Culturali worked during the recovery to stabilize the objects after their long immersion. The Soprintendenza said research will continue in the coming years, in cooperation with the municipality of Valentano, and that an exhibition of the Mezzano bronzes is planned. It gave no date.
Note: The headline says 3,300 years old. The page gives only a date in the 13th century BC and describes the sword as more than 3,000 years old.
At a Glance
- The bronze sword dates to the 13th century BC, the Late Bronze Age, according to the Soprintendenza.
- It is the third sword found at the Mezzano site since the 1970s.
- The campaign also recovered axes, arrowheads, daggers, spearheads, pins, a razor and many intact vessels.
- The Carabinieri Underwater Unit of Rome supported survey, documentation and safety during the dives.
- The Soprintendenza announced the find on October 6, 2026 and said an exhibition of the bronzes is planned.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.