Italian archaeologists recovered a bronze sword from the 13th century BC with a blade sharp enough to cut from a lake in an ancient volcanic crater.

Live Science reported that archaeologists discovered an intact bronze sword from a volcanic lake in Italy. This 3,300-year-old weapon was likely placed in the lake as an offering to gods or high-ranking warriors who lived long before the Etruscans or Romans appeared.

An announcement in early October from the Provincial Administration of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscapes of Viterbo and southern Etruria said the sword was found in Lake Mezzano, located in an ancient volcanic crater about 100 km northwest of Rome. Even though it dates from the late Bronze Age (13th to 14th century BC), the blade still retains its sharpness. The fact that the sword has survived more than 3,000 years underwater shows both the quality of metalworking and the protective conditions of the lake bottom. This is the third sword found in Lake Mezzano in the past 50 years.

Bronze Age people once built stilt houses at the current location of Lake Mezzano and the archaeological team collected the remains of the submerged settlement during a recent survey. They also discovered many intact bronze pots, axes, arrowheads, daggers, spear heads, pins and razors.

The sword and razor lie close together, revealing two artifacts that may be related to people of high social status such as elite warriors. However, the placement of metal weapons in the lake may also be related to a popular Bronze Age ritual that persisted through the centuries into the Etruscan period. During the 13th century BC, people in central Italy participated in trade networks that stretched across the Mediterranean. In that context, bronze weapons were not only fighting tools but also symbols of prestige, identity and power.

According to Ancient Origins, another theory is that the sword accidentally fell into the lake. Evidence from 2025 suggests that some objects may fall or roll from wooden structures. The research team has not been able to determine whether this artifact was on the bottom of the lake due to accident or intentionality, although the metal artifacts at Mezzano are located at a fairly uniform depth.

Experts will continue to survey the lake and future expeditions will expand underwater excavation, using 3D maps to record the location of each object. It is expected that some bronze artifacts at Mezzano will be displayed in an exhibition organized by the Valentano city government.

An Khang summary