"The exceptional state of preservation of the weapon it is intact from pommel to tip, still shines in some place and has a honed edge gave researchers a unique opportunity to reveal new information about Bronze Age metalwork and craft techniques. The Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments (BLfD) sent the sword to Berlin where it was analyzed using non-destructive methods including 3D computed tomography, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy."
"The results found the metal was worked with an incredibly high level of precision and skill. The resolution of the 3D CT scans is so high that every detail is exposed, down to the tool marks left on the weapon. Examination of the imaging found that the blade was clamped and riveted to the hilt with a tang, just like great German steel kitchen knives are today."
"Just based on how the what the material looked like, researchers expected the decoration in the grooves to be tin, which is soft and malleable and easy to use on such a tiny detail job. Instead, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, which floods the surface of the object with synchrotron radiation, causing atoms to emit measurable element-specific X-rays, identified the inlaid material as copper wires joined together."
A 3,400-year-old bronze sword discovered in Nordlingen, Southern Germany, in 2023 is exceptionally preserved, intact from pommel to tip with some original shine and a honed edge. Non-destructive analyses in Berlin used 3D computed tomography, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy to examine construction, surface detail, and elemental composition. High-resolution CT revealed tool marks and showed the blade clamped and riveted to the hilt via a tang. Grooves on the pommel contained an unexpected inlay: XRF identified copper wires joined together rather than tin. Traces of tin and minor lead likely derive from the bronze alloy.
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