A metal detectorist has discovered a 4,000-year-old copper dagger, likely from an elite warrior, in a forest near the village of Korzenica in southeast Poland.
“The Korzenica dagger is so far the oldest metal dagger discovered [in] south-eastern Poland,” said Marcin Burghardt, an archaeologist at the Orsetti Tenement House Museum in Poland who analyzed the dagger. “The only similar dagger in Poland was uncovered in the [1960s] so the new find comes as a great surprise,” Burghardt told Live Science.
A team went to examine the spot where the metal detectorist discovered the dagger but found no other artifacts. “When we examined the spot, we found neither additional finds nor traces of archaeological features,” Burghardt said. Because of the lack of additional artifacts, “we cannot link the dagger to a specific archaeological culture,” Burghardt added.
Yes, cool find, but there is also a lot of speculation going on here with no substantiating evidence.
Science communication should be done better. Explain why the finding is cool without contributing to pop-sci stereotypes that misinform the public. Explain the scientific thought process in a way that is digestible and relatable, don’t exaggerate or speculate to make it fit Hollywood tropes.