Metal Detectorist Discovers 2,700-Year-Old Bronze Sword in Polish Forest

On June 14, treasure hunter Marcin Wiśniewski was surveying a forest in northern Poland near Gdańsk when his metal detector alerted him to a buried object. Digging, he uncovered a bronze sword nearly two feet long, sticking straight up from the ground. The sword dates to between 900 and 700 B.C.E., according to the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments (PUOZ). Wiśniewski reburied the exposed end and marked the spot with a beer can. The next day, officials excavated the site in cold, rainy conditions. The sword likely had a handle of organic materials like wood or bone, which has not survived, but engraved patterns on the blade remain visible. Its upright burial position is unusual but not unprecedented in Europe; the reason remains unclear. Similar bronze antenna swords were found in a peat bog in the 1920s and acquired by the Provincial Museum in Gdańsk but lost during World War II. PUOZ spokesperson Marcin Tymiński stated the sword will go to a museum, with more details after study. Wiśniewski, an avid metal detectorist, has previously found eighth-century B.C.E. necklaces and a bracelet. Other recent sword discoveries in Poland include a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman sword in 2025 and a tenth-century sword with an inscription in 2024.