Archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old copper dagger and human skull fragments 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.” Federico Bernardinian archaeologist at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice told Live Science. “We couldn’t believe it – the finding of metal objects, particularly 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, during the Late Copper Age (2750-2200 BC) and Early Bronze Age (2200-950 BC). But the discovery of the dagger was unexpected because such rare finds from these periods are usually found at places of worship, said Bernardini, who is leading the dig for the university 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 understood the significance of the find.
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The dagger is one of several objects discovered in the Tina Jama cave, on the “Karst Plateau” of exposed and highly eroded limestone along Italy’s northeastern border with Slovenia. Along with other finds from the cave, the dagger is helping to 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 are allowing us to collect valuable data to reconstruct the prehistory of the area,” said Bernardini.
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The ancient cave
According to a translator STATEMENT from the university, excavations have revealed layers from the late Copper Age and early Bronze Age phases, before the secret of adding tin to copper to make bronze was known.
In particular, finds from the second half of the third millennium BC are “crucial for understanding the technological, cultural and social transformations of Europe at that time”. Elena Leghissaan archaeologist from the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, who leads the Slovenian team, said in a statement.
Archaeologists are “using a rigorous methodological approach” while excavating the cave, Bernardini said, including the use of “structure-from-motion photogrammetry” to create virtual 3D 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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Mysterious stones
One of the strangest features of the Tina Jama Cave is a structure that closed the entrance with stone slabs and blocks. It is thought to date between 2000 and 1500 BC, or 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 and cold “snow” wind that blows into this region from the northeast every winter. But archaeologists also think it may be related to burials in the cave, because pieces of human skulls have been found nearby.
“The skull fragments show that the cave was used as a burial place at certain times, although we have to wait radiocarbon dating to better understand their chronology and the possible connection with the structure of the stone”, said Bernardini.
The excavations have also revealed a “hearth” or chimney that seems to be older than the stone structure at the entrance of the cave. It suggests that, “before the construction of the stone structure, groups of people used the entrance to the cave,” Bernardini said. “Based on the findings of the third part, these groups appear to be related to the Cetina culture from the Dalmatian region in present-day Croatia,” he told Live Science, an early Bronze Age people.