JESENÍK, CZECH REPUBLIC—Radio Prague International reports that a man looking for mushrooms after a rain discovered a bronze sword in northeastern Czech Republic. Roman Novák said he saw the blade sticking out of some stones, and while digging it out, also found a bronze ax. According to archaeologist Jiří Juchelka of the Silesian Museum, the sword and ax resemble Bronze Age weapons made in northern Germany by pouring liquefied metal into a mold. “The sword has an octagonal handle. It is only the second sword of its type to be found here,” he added. This sword, however, was probably not used in combat because X-rays revealed many small bubbles in the bronze. Researchers plan to survey the area where the weapons were recovered. For more on arms used throughout history, go to "Weapons of the Ancient World."
