Archaeology & History

Ancient treasure trove found in Transylvania

By T.K. Randall
October 1, 2015

Image: Roman Legionnaire
Credit: Rennett Stowe / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) Transylvania might be well known for its connection to the iconic Bram Stoker novel Dracula, but outside of vampire lore this historical region of Romania is also home to some intriguing archaeological finds dating back thousands of years.

Among the most recent of these are two stashes of weapons and jewellery that contain more than 350 items between them and date back to somewhere around the 8th century BC.

This remarkable treasure trove includes axes, short swords, spears, brooches, bracelets, pendants, beads and hairpins as well as pieces of harnesses that would have been used on horses."The majority of the objects are made of bronze, yet there are also weapons and tools made of iron," said Corina Bors of the National History Museum of Romania.

It isn't clear why the people of the time had buried all these items where they did however it is possible that it was intended as either a gift to the gods or as an offering to a local chieftain.

A careful examination of each of the items is now underway in an effort to determine where they might have originated with excavations at the site expected to continue well in to next year.

Source: Discovery News

Tags: Transylvania, Bronze