A 2,000-year-old Roman warrior's silver-encrusted dagger found

A metal detectorist unearths an ornate dagger buried in the ground by Roman soldiers to celebrate victory thousands of years ago.

A dagger discovered by a metal detectorist led archaeologists to the excavation site. There, they found hundreds more artifacts from the battlefield where Roman armies battled Rhaetian warriors as the empire sought to consolidate power in the region.

Archaeologists believe that one of the legions buried the dagger after the battle as a way of celebrating victory. Only four similar daggers, with features such as cross-shaped hilts, have been excavated in the territory formerly belonging to the Roman Empire.

The shape of an ancient dagger. (Photo: Archaeological Service Graubünden)

Lucas Schmid, a dental student, began exploring the area near the village of Tiefencastel in the canton of Graubünden in southeastern Switzerland in the spring of 2018. Archaeological excavations in 2003 found many traces of the La army. Ancient code nearby.

Schmid discovered the silver-and-bronze dagger on a small hill next to the estuary in the spring of 2019. Schmid's metal detector picked up a very weak signal at first, indicating that the buried object was rather small. However, when he started digging, Schmid realized that the signal was definitely coming from a large object buried relatively deep. As a result, the 30 cm long dagger remained intact below the ground. For Schmid, this was a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.

Schmid reported the discovery to the state archeology agency, Archäologischen Dienst Graubünden (ADG). ADG licensed Schmid to detect metals in the area. In September this year, archaeologists (including Schmid) from ADG and the University of Basel visited the area.

When the excavation was completed at the end of September, the team collected hundreds of artifacts scattered across the 35,000 square meter plot of land. Findings included spearheads, shield shards, coins, and large spikes for the soles of boots used by the legions. Archaeologists also found fragments of the sword and shield of the warrior Rhaetia.