Archeologists in the Czech Republic uncovered a hoard of artifacts, including weapons and jewelry, from 3,600 years ago.
Researchers were surveying the town of Budyně nad Ohří, roughly 40 miles from Prague, in 2023 when they found eight axes, one spearhead, eight arm rings and two pins, Prague Morning reported Thursday.
The artifacts are believed to be from the Bronze Age, which spanned across the years 3,300 B.C. to 1,200 B.C., the outlet reported. This period is characterized by the shift in tool-making in Europe as people began using bronze, an alloy created from mixing copper and tin, instead of stone, abridging to the outlet.
Martin Trefný, the curator of the hoard and professor at the University of Jan Evangelista Purkyně and the Museum of the Říp Region, told Live Science the functions behind these artifacts. (RELATED: Archeologists Discover 3,500-Year-Old Shopping List)
“Axes could have been used as tools or weapons. The latter function also applies to the spearhead,” Trefný told the outlet. “Bracelets were forearm ornaments, and pins served either to fasten clothing or, for example, to style women’s hair.”
Researchers reportedly say these items were purposefully buried underground and have three different theories to suggest why.
“In the first case, the hoards are presumed to have a votive function, meaning they served as offerings to deities,” Trefný told Live Science. “In the second case, we speak of an economic function, where hoards are interpreted as, for example, storage for manufacturers of the given items.”
Another theory suggests the artifacts could have been buried due to “a crisis situation, where it was necessary to hide the items, for example, from enemies,” he told the outlet.
Trefný told Live Science the hoard of items “contributes to understanding the warfare, craft techniques and contemporary fashion of the time.”
“Considering that hoards might have a ritual significance, they can also reveal a bit about the contemporary religion,” he added.
The items are soon set to be displayed at the Podřipské Museum in Roudnice nad Labem, Czechia, according to Prague Morning.
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