WEST POMERANIAN VOIVODESHIP, POLAND—The Miami Herald reports that two Polish metal detectorists combing a beach after a storm found a rare 2,500-year-old weapon embedded in a block of clay that had recently fallen from a cliffside. Although its exact location remains undisclosed, the 10-inch long, intricately designed dagger was found in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Officials from the Museum of the History of the Kamień Land determined that it dated back to the Hallstatt period of the early Iron Age. “A true work of art!” said museum director Grzegorz Kurka. “I have not seen such a dagger in my experience with findings in Polish territories.” The blade is decorated with rows of small crescent moon–like symbols, crosses, and other star-like shapes connected by lines running down the object that may represent constellations. Due to its design and decoration, experts suggest it may have been associated with a solar cult and thus had special ritual significance. Further analysis is underway to determine the composition of the dagger’s alloy and identify signs of its usage. Researchers also hope to ascertain whether it was locally made, or cast—perhaps somewhere in southern Europe—and subsequently imported into the area. To read about finds from a Bronze Age hillfort, go to "Piggy Playthings."
