3,500-Year-Old Bronze Hand Found

[tamrock]

I'm so amazed of the skill these ancient people had in refining and working metal.

Found in a Bronze-Age grave, the rare artifact may have been used for ritual purposes.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/relay....9/bronze-hand-ancient-switzerland-archaeology

 

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[Kray Gelder]

Very interesting finds. I noticed they referred to the detectorists as "looters" twice in the article, even though they surrendered their finds right away.

 

[Red James Cash]

Better called a looter than a grave robbing Archy.

 

[Plumbata]

Very interesting! I woulda kept the lovely riveted dagger personally, those insufferable sanctimonious archies already categorized the discoverers as looters even after they handed it all over, so why not make their castigations more accurate? Fuggem!

 

[Plumbata]

I'm so amazed of the skill these ancient people had

Got somethin' to show ya!

I hadn't heard about it until recently, but one of the most magnificent works of art I've ever seen is the recently discovered "Pylos Combat Agate", a 1.3 inch wide, carved intaglio gem dating to about 1,450 BC. It took them a year to clean off the encrustations which made it look like a regular bead when first found. I was moved more deeply by it than any other work of human art, in no small part because it expresses a genius of vision and technical ability I didn't think possible until 1,000 or more years later. Note the bronze swords, quite similar to the dagger uncovered in the Swiss grave.

Click on this and zoom to view full screen, it's the best way to appreciate it:







Beautiful, eh?

 

[tamrock]

Very interesting! I woulda kept the lovely riveted dagger personally, those insufferable sanctimonious archies already categorized the discoverers as looters even after they handed it all over, so why not make their castigations more accurate? Fuggem!

I knew that part would raise an eyebrow. There's no respect for the people who bring these wonderful discoveries to our attention.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I find it interesting that when an archaeologist finds an object with unknown (to him) purpose, it is immediately called a "ceremonial" or "ritual" piece. So when you read "ceremonial", it means they don't have a damn clue. Gary

 

[tamrock]

I find it interesting that when an archaeologist finds an object with unknown (to him) purpose, it is immediately called a "ceremonial" or "ritual" piece. So when you read "ceremonial", it means they don't have a damn clue. Gary

I know. It can't ever be something cool that no one else had in the ancient world had and therefore the original owner loved it so much they were buried with it.

 

[tamrock]

Got somethin' to show ya!

I hadn't heard about it until recently, but one of the most magnificent works of art I've ever seen is the recently discovered "Pylos Combat Agate", a 1.3 inch wide, carved intaglio gem dating to about 1,450 BC. It took them a year to clean off the encrustations which made it look like a regular bead when first found. I was moved more deeply by it than any other work of human art, in no small part because it expresses a genius of vision and technical ability I didn't think possible until 1,000 or more years later. Note the bronze swords, quite similar to the dagger uncovered in the Swiss grave.

Click on this and zoom to view full screen, it's the best way to appreciate it:
View attachment 1638141

View attachment 1638143

View attachment 1638146


Beautiful, eh?

That is beautiful and amazing.

 

[Plumbata]

I wish they had more pictures of the bronze hand, but from what can be seen it looks like a prosthesis to me. They claim that they don't believe it is a prosthetic hand, but without pictures of the socket itself my view is that there was no reason to have such an apparently oversized socket if it was just a "ceremonial" item to be mounted on a staff. The fingers appear as though they were originally sharp and of a triangular cross section, so assuming the flat side was the palm side it was a right-hand. I could envision the sharp fingers being brutally effective in self-defense/combat scenarios.

In searching for more pictures I learned that a criminal investigation was launched and at least 1 of the fellas had his home searched for more "looted" artifacts. So much for "doing the right thing", eh?

 

[A2coins]

Only the special can find this stuff a keep it for whatever they want to do with it!!!!!!!!Looks like Freddys back