Cache of Bronze Artifacts Discovered in Switzerland

Thursday, June 29, 2023



Cache of Bronze Artifacts Discovered in Switzerland

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Switzerland Bronze Objects(Canton Graubünden Office for Culture/Archaeological Service)

SALOUF, SWITZERLAND—Swissinfo reports that some 80 bronze artifacts have been uncovered in southeastern Switzerland’s Canton Graubünden by a team of researchers from the University of Basel, the Swiss Prospecting Working Group, the Federal Office of Culture, and volunteers. The objects, including jewelry, sickles, axes, needles, pieces of metal, and saw fragments, had been wrapped in leather and placed in a wooden crate before they were buried. Researchers note that the cache was discovered near the Motta Vallac, the site of a battle in 15 B.C. during the Roman campaign in the Alps. To read about Mesolithic hunter-gatherers who extracted rock crystal in the Alps, go to "Alpine Crystal Hunters."

https://www.archaeology.org/news/11563-230629-switzerland-bronze-objects

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Bronze Age metal hoard discovered in the Swiss Alps at Roman battle site



Archaeologists excavating the Switzerland Oberhalbstein valley have discovered a metal hoard containing more than 80 bronze artifacts dating from 1200 BC to 1000 BC or the late Bronze Age.

Oberhalbstein is in Graubünden canton, the easternmost region of Switzerland, and about 100 miles southeast of Zurich.

In 2021, the Archaeological Service of Graubünden (ADG) launched a new research project to systematically examine the landscape for the remains of the conflict between Rome and the Suanetes. The Bronze Age hoard was discovered as part of this project.

https://arkeonews.net/bronze-age-metal-hoard-discovered-in-the-swiss-alps-at-roman-battle-site/

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‘Exceptional’ Bronze Age artefacts unearthed in Switzerland



Bronze Age sickles, axes, needles, pieces of metal and saw fragments discovered near Salouf, a former battlefield in southeast Switzerland dating back to the Roman campaign in the Alps in 15 BC. Canton Graubünden



Around 80 rare artefacts from the late Bronze Age, including jewellery, sickles and axes, have been discovered in the Albula region in southeast Switzerland.

This content was published on June 27, 2023
June 27, 2023
1 minute

This "exceptional" discovery represents "the finest hour for Graubünden archaeology", said the canton's archaeological service in a press releaseExternal link on Tuesday. Archaeologists believe the objects date from the 12th and 11th centuries BC.

The artefacts were found at the foot of the Motta Vallac archaeological site, near Salouf, a former battlefield dating back to the Roman campaign in the Alps in 15 BC. The area has been the subject of various excavations over the past three years.

The archaeological service believes the 80 unearthed objects had been deliberately deposited, buried or hidden. Most of the metal objects are made of cast iron or copper. There are also several Bronze Age sickles, axes, a fragment of a saw and pieces of jewellery and clothing.

Analyses show that the objects were deposited in the ground in a wooden crate and wrapped in leather. This is “by far the largest and most important” find from this period in the canton, the archaeological service said.

The excavations were carried out in collaboration with volunteers as part of the "CVMBAT" project in collaboration with the University of Basel, the Swiss Prospecting Working Group and the Federal Office of Culture.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/-exceptional--bronze-age-artefacts-unearthed-in-switzerland/48622778

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Someone buried treasure and vanished. Archaeologists just found it 3,000 years later

BY ASPEN PFLUGHOEFT
JUNE 28, 2023 12:23 PM



Archaeologists searching for ancient Roman ruins in Oberhalbstein stumbled on a large collection of Bronze Age artifacts, photos show. Photo from the Archaeological Service of Graubünden


Kneeling on the valley ground, someone set down a wooden box and began to dig. They buried the box — and the treasures within — then vanished. The treasure went unnoticed for 3,000 years, but not anymore. Armed with metal detectors, archaeologists set out into the valley near Oberhalbstein, Switzerland, the Archaeological Service of Graubünden said in a June 27 news release. Their systematic search hoped to uncover ancient Roman ruins. While searching for evidence of the Roman military, they stumbled on a much older find: a 3,000-year-old collection of buried treasure.

Archaeologists excavated the site and uncovered 80 artifacts from between 1200 B.C. and 1000 B.C., or the late Bronze Age, the release said. Photos show the excavation area.



Archaeologists excavate the buried treasure. Photo from the Archaeological Service of Graubünden

The items had been intentionally damaged to be unusable, placed in a wooden box, wrapped in leather and buried in the valley. Archaeologists identified the collection as an example of selective dumping, a practice which involved destroying and dumping valuable metal items, the release said. Most of the buried treasures were metal objects, possibly linked to metal production in the Alps, archaeologists said. The collection included several pieces of raw copper, sickles, axes, part of a saw and jewelry pieces.



The treasure, still partially buried. ADG Photo from the Archaeological Service of Graubünden

Photos show the buried artifacts after being excavated and cleaned. Many of the items have a blue-green tinge, while others have a tannish-white coloring. The 3,000-year-old treasures were found near a known prehistoric settlement and a central transportation route that ran through the Alps, archaeologists said. Thomas Reitmaier, an archaeologist for the Graubünden canton, described the find as unique for the area. The buried treasure will provide more insight into the culture and economy of the late Bronze Age, he said in the release.

The artifacts found in Oberhalbstein are the region’s largest and most important collection of its kind, officials said. The artifacts were found last fall but only recently announced. Oberhalbstein is in Graubünden canton, the easternmost region of Switzerland, and about 100 miles southeast of Zurich.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article276829861.html#storylink=cpy