BRANDENBURG, GERMANY—Fragments of a handgun discovered in 2023 in northeastern Germany may date to a.d. 1390, which would push back the use of a portable gunpowder weapon in Europe by nine years, according to a Live Science report. The pieces of bronze were unearthed at Kletzke Castle by a volunteer, who took them to Gordon Thalmann of the Lower Monument Protection Authority of Prignitz. Researchers now think the weapon may be linked to a foiled attack on the castle that took place in 1390. Christof Krauskopf of the Brandenburg State Office for Heritage Management said that if the “hand cannon” had been used in the siege of Kletzke Castle, it was likely carried there by the attackers and not made locally. A bronze weapon discovered at the site of Germany’s Tannenberg Castle, which was destroyed in 1399, is considered by many to be the oldest handheld firearm in Europe. To read about early metal cannons discovered in China, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World: Fire Lances and Cannons."
