Unique Bronze Age treasure discovered on the Roman battlefield in the Swiss Alps

Archaeologists excavating the Switzerland Oberhalbstein valley have discovered a metal hoard containing more than 80 bronze artifacts dating from 1200 BC to 1000 BC or the late Bronze Age.

Oberhalbstein is in Graubünden canton, the easternmost region of Switzerland, and about 100 miles southeast of Zurich.In 2021, the Archaeological Service of Graubünden launched a new research project to systematically examine the landscape for the remains of the conflict between Rome and the Suanetes. The Bronze Age hoard was discovered as part of this project.

The hoard, which was discovered in a field south of an ancient settlement on a transalpine trade route, dates to the 12th or 11th century BC. It is the largest and most important Bronze Age hoard ever discovered in the canton of Graubünden.

The Archaeological Service of Graubünden unearthed the hoard in October 2022 after a volunteer metal detectorist surveying the site alerted the team to its presence. The artifacts were found last fall but only recently announced.