Archaeologists have unearthed a uncommon dagger courting again to the Copper Age at Tina Jama Cave within the regional decentralization entity of Trieste within the Italian area of Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The 4,000-year-old copper dagger present in Tina Jama Cave, Italy. Picture credit score: Davide Bonaduce.
The traditional copper dagger from Tina Jama Cave is just below 10 cm (4 inches) lengthy and has a leaf form with a tang.
The artifact was discovered by Professor Federico Bernardini, excavation director and an archaeologist from the Ca’ Foscari College of Venice, and his colleagues from Italy and Slovenia.
“Such finds should not have precise parallels in Italy, however the Tina Jama dagger might be in contrast with comparable finds from the well-known Dežman/Deschmann pile dwellings close to Ljubljana in Slovenia,” Professor Bernardini mentioned.
“Excavations at Tina Jama uncovered layers from the Bronze and Remaining Copper Age, courting again to the second half of the third millennium BCE,” added Dr. Elena Leghissa, an archaeologist on the Institute of Archaeology of the Analysis Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and the Slovenske akademije znanosti in umetnosti.
“The findings are important for understanding the technological, cultural, and social transformations in Europe throughout that interval.”
“Excavations will deepen our understanding of the varied cultural aspects of the third millennium BCE within the Caput Adriae area.”
“The invention of the copper dagger is an distinctive occasion that raises questions in regards to the cave’s use.”
The archaeologists additionally found a construction product of slabs and stone blocks from between 2000 and 1500 BCE on the entrance of the cave.
“The aim of this construction stays unclear, however some fragments of human skulls discovered close by recommend it could have had a funerary operate,” they mentioned.
“Alternatively, it may need been constructed to guard the inside of the cave from bora winds.”
“The ceramic supplies that had been retrieved on website and the presence of a fireplace recommend that, previous to the creation of this construction, the cave was frequented by teams whose materials tradition had shut contact with the Dalmatian space within the second half of the third millennium BCE (Cetina tradition).”
The researchers additionally discovered flint arrowheads, lengthy blades comprised of the identical materials by means of stress methods, polished stone axes, obsidian, stone and ceramic objects, and shell ornaments.
“This proof means that the cave has been visited for hundreds of years and is promising for future excavation efforts,” they concluded.