'A flash of copper caught our attention': 4,000-year-old dagger discovered deep in Italian cave

Archaeologists have unearthed a 4,000-year-old copper dagger and fragments of human skulls deep in a cave in Italy. The cave was clearly used for burials, but it also contains the remains of an ancient hearth.

“The moment we discovered the dagger was unforgettable.” Frédéric Bernardiniarchaeologist at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, told Live Science. “We couldn’t believe it: finding metal objects, especially a dagger, was completely unexpected in this context.”

Burials in caves or rock shelters were common in this region at this time, between 4,500 and 4,000 years ago, at the end of the Copper Age (2,750 to 2,200 BC) and in the early Bronze Age (2200 to 950 BC). But the discovery of the dagger was unexpected, because such rare finds from these periods are usually found in places of worship, said Bernardini, who is leading the university’s excavations in partnership with other Italian and Slovenian institutions and authorities.

“As we carefully removed the last layers of soil, a flash of copper caught our attention,” Bernardini said in an email, adding that they immediately recognized the significance of the discovery.

The dagger is one of several artifacts discovered in Tina Jama Cave, in the “karst plateau” of exposed and heavily weathered limestone along Italy’s northeastern border with Slovenia. Along with other finds from the cave, the dagger helps identify the age and technological skills of the different groups of people who occupied the cave at different times between 9,000 and 4,000 years ago.

“The investigations are still ongoing, but they allow us to gather valuable data to reconstruct the prehistory of the area,” Bernardini said.

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A dagger in the ground with a sign next to it — The copper dagger blade is attached to a “tang” to secure it in a wooden or bone handle; the handle is rotten.(Image credit: Federico Bernardini)

Ancient cave

According to a translation statement From the university, excavations have revealed layers dating to the later stages of the Copper Age and early Bronze Age, before the secret of adding tin to copper to make bronze was discovered. known.

In particular, discoveries from the second half of the third millennium BC are “crucial for understanding the technological, cultural and social transformations of Europe at this time”. Elena Leghissaan archaeologist from the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts who leads the Slovenian team said in the statement.

Archaeologists “use a rigorous methodological approach” when excavating the cave, Bernardini said, including using “structural photogrammetry from movement” to create 3D virtual maps from two-dimensional images.

In addition, “the soil is carefully sieved with a 1 mm mesh to collect as much information as possible,” he said.

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A human jaw bone with two intact teeth — Human remains in the cave include this jawbone which is believed to date from the Iron Age in this region, around 3,000 years ago.(Image credit: Gigliola Antonazzi)

Mysterious stones

One of the strangest features of Tina Jama Cave is a structure that closed off the entrance with stone slabs and blocks. It is thought to date from between 2000 and 1500 BC, up to 500 years after the dagger was placed there.

The purpose of the structure is unknown and it may have been built to protect the interior of the cave from the strong, cold “bora” wind that blows through this northeastern region every winter. But archaeologists also think it could be linked to burials in the cave, as pieces of human skulls have been discovered nearby.

“The skull fragments indicate that the cave was used as a burial site at certain times, but this will have to wait radiocarbon dating to better understand their chronology and possible connection with the stone structure,” Bernardini said.

Excavations also revealed a “hearth” or chimney that appears older than the stone structure at the cave entrance. This suggests that “before the stone structure was built, groups of people used the cave entrance,” Bernardini said. “Based on the results of part three, these groups appear to be associated with the Cetina culture of the Dalmatian region of present-day Croatia,” an early Bronze Age people, he told Live Science.

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‘A flash of copper caught our attention’: 4,000-year-old dagger discovered deep in Italian cave

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