Metal detectorist stumbles on 4,000-year-old weapon while walking to his car. See it
A metal detectorist in Poland searched the forest floor for military artifacts from World War I or World War II. He swept the device above the ground, working his way through the trees. Eventually, he decided to call it a day.
As Piotr Gorlach walked to his car, a final beep from his metal detector revealed the day’s most significant discovery.
Gorlach had left the metal detector on out of habit, he told Science in Poland in a Feb. 22 news release. As he headed out of the forest in Korzenica, he heard it beep and started digging. A flat metal object with a greenish hue emerged.
Archaeologists identified the artifact as an extremely rare 4,000-year-old dagger.
Uncover more archaeological finds
What are we learning about the past? Here are three of our most eye-catching archaeology stories from the past week.
→ 'Unusual' stones on seafloor turn out to be 'thrilling' 11,000-year-old trap in Germany
→ Tractor driver hits stone — and opens 1,700-year-old Roman tomb in Bulgaria. See it
→ 3,500-year-old shipwreck — one of world's oldest — sank carrying items in hot demand
The ancient weapon was made of copper and measured just over 4 inches in length, the Museum in Jarosław Orsetti House said in a Feb. 22 Facebook post. Photos show the arrow-shaped dagger.
The dagger dated between 2500 B.C. and 2000 B.C., a period when metal products were first being introduced to Poland, the museum said. During this period, metal products were imported from modern-day Ukraine or Hungary and only available to elites who could afford them.
The 4,000-year-old weapon is the oldest metal dagger found in the province, the museum said.
Gorlach gave the ancient dagger to the Museum in Jarosław Orsetti House where it will be put on display.
Gorlach is part of the Historical and Exploration-Association Group Jarosław, which has found and donated several dozen artifacts, the release said.
Korzenica is a village in Jarosław County and about 170 miles southeast of Warsaw, near the Poland-Ukraine border.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland and the Facebook post from the Museum in Jarosław Orsetti House.
Metal detectorist unearths ‘one-of-a-kind’ gold treasure from 1,400 years ago. See it
2,800-year-old serpent artifact is a ‘missing link’ to Hercules mythology, study says
Medieval church — lost for centuries — reemerges at iconic site in Venice, photos show
