A team of Spanish archaeologists discovered an ancient sword that once belonged to a mysterious lost civilization. The sword was uncovered on Spain’s vacation island called Majorca. The rare, 3,200-year-old sword was found while the team was working to open the archaeological site of “Talaiot del Serralde ses Abelles,” in Puigpunyent as a museum.
While the site has been worked on since the 1950s (and was thought to be completely excavated), it was only this past month that the sword was unearthed. That’s why the two lead researchers, Jaume Deya and Pablo Galera, called the discovery a “huge surprise”. While ten other similar swords have been found in the Balearic Islands by farmers and builders, proper research hadn’t been conducted on them as it is unknown how and where they were discovered.
The site was thought to be completely excavated when archaeologists surprisingly uncovered the ancient sword.
There are numerous stone megaliths at the archaeological site that date back to 1000 to 6000 B.C. and the sword was discovered near one of those large stones. The stones, which locals call “talayot”, were built by the Tailiotic people – the mysterious culture who lived on the islands of Majorca and Menorca several thousands of years ago. The sword received the nickname of the “Talayot sword” and some have even referred to it as the “Spanish Excalibur”.
The stone megaliths found in Puigpunyent were thought to have been created to defend the civilization from enemies; however, with the recent discovery of the sword that had been intentionally buried at the site, the stones had much more importance than just being used for their defense.
The sword was believed to have belonged to an aristocratic family of the Talaiotic culture and was probably used as a way of defending themselves if need be. But the location where it was unearthed indicates that it was likely buried as part of a religious ritual and ceremony. The mysterious civilization disappeared after 600 B.C. so the discovery of this sword is definitely an important piece of their culture – specifically their practices, rituals, and religious ceremonies.
Majorca Island
One of the researchers named Diario del Mallorca recently told the Daily Star that the sword is from around 1200 B.C. and that it is in “strikingly good condition, apart from the tip of the blade, (which) appeared to have been snapped in the ground.”
The sword and other items from the Bronze Age in Spanish history will soon be displayed at the Museum of Majorca. You can see pictures here of the sword as well as a video that was taken the moment in which they discovered it.
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