Hunt for artifacts from both world wars leads searchers to a much older find in Poland
A group of metal detectorists set out to search for artifacts from World War I and World War II in Poland — but uncovered a 3,500-year-old find instead.
A historical research association, Wolica, led the hunt for relics from the world wars in a forest near Krasnystaw on April 23, according to a May 10 news release from Science in Poland. The metal detectorists searched the forest floor but initially came up empty handed.
“We were returning from the search and a colleague came across this object,” Wojciech Werus, a member of the association, said in the release. “The object was lying shallow, literally a few centimeters below the soil surface. It was a miracle that we managed to extract it.”
The metal detectorist uncovered a flat, metal, tear-drop shaped object, photos from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments show.
Archaeologists identified the blue-green artifact as a 3,500-year-old dagger, Science in Poland said in the release. The dagger was likely made between 1600 and 1300 B.C., during the Bronze Age.
The blade was about 7.5 inches long and had three small rods where a handle would be attached, the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments said in a release. It has a symmetrical shape and few signs of wear.
Paweł Wira, an official with Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments, told Science in Poland that “the historical and scientific value is enormous.”
The dagger is a first-of-its-kind find for the area, Wira said. “It is not a local product, the item most likely came here from today’s Hungary, Czechia, Austria or Slovakia — from the Danube area,” he said.
The dagger was probably brought to Poland when its maker migrated north from the Danube area, the Science in Poland release said.
Previously, archaeologists had not studied the forest area where the dagger was buried. Now, they have begun excavations of the site, according to the release.
The dagger was found by Grzegorz Rękas. The artifact is being held by the Regional Museum in Krasnystaw, the release said.
Krasnystaw is about 145 miles southeast of Warsaw and near the Poland-Ukraine border.
Facebook Translate was used to translate the news release from the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments.
This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Hunt for artifacts from both world wars leads searchers to a much older find in Poland."
