28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Bronze Age metal hoard discovered in the Swiss Alps at Roman battle site

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 (ADG) 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 B.C. It is the largest and most important Bronze Age hoard ever discovered in the canton of Graubünden.

Aerial view of the Salouf-Vostga site, with the village of Salouf in the background, Oberhalbstein/Surses Photo: Archaeological Service of Graubünden
Aerial view of the Salouf-Vostga site, with the village of Salouf in the background, Oberhalbstein/Surses Photo: Archaeological Service of Graubünden

The Archaeological Service of Graubünden (ADG) 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.

The items had been intentionally damaged to be unusable, placed in a wooden box, wrapped in leather and buried in the valley.

Photo: Archaeological Service of Graubünden

Most of the buried treasures were metal objects, possibly linked to metal production in the Alps, archaeologists said. The collection included several pieces of raw copper, sickles, axes, part of a saw and jewelry pieces. They were damaged deliberately, and “killed” before being buried as an offering.

“The comprehensive scientific investigation that will now follow this find, which is unique in our area, will certainly provide far-reaching insights into late Bronze Age cultural, economic, and landscape history,” says Thomas Reitmaier, an archaeologist for the Graubünden canton.

Photo: Archaeological Service of Graubünden

The buried treasure will provide more insight into the culture and economy of the late Bronze Age, he said in the release.

Since 2003, hundreds of Roman sling bullets, hobnails, a dagger with elaborate decoration, and other pieces of military hardware have been discovered at the site close to the present-day municipality of Surses. The sheer volume of projectiles, weapons, and equipment from the Augustan era indicates that it was the scene of a significant military engagement between three Roman legions under the command of future emperor Tiberius and his brother Drusus and the local Suanetes tribe in 15 B.C. The only known Roman battleground in Switzerland is this one. In 2008, the ruins of the Roman military camp that had been built during the summer to guard the crucial Septimer Pass were found.

Kanton Graubünden

Cover Photo: Archaeological Service of Graubünden

Related Articles

Denisovans or Homo Sapiens: Who Were the First to Settle Permanently on the Tibetan Plateau?

8 December 2021

8 December 2021

The Tibetan Plateau has long been considered one of the last places to be populated by people in their migration...

Rare Arabic inscription discovered during Malta housing project works

3 May 2023

3 May 2023

A rare Arabic inscription, possibly dating back to medieval times, was discovered at the site of a social housing project...

Polish archaeologists have uncovered nine crocodile heads within ancient Egyptian tombs of nobles

25 December 2022

25 December 2022

Polish archaeologists excavating the Theban Necropolis in Egypt discovered nine crocodile heads hidden inside two tombs belonging to high-ranking nobles....

1,500-year-old Byzantine artifacts found under a peach orchard in Turkey’s Iznik

27 January 2023

27 January 2023

In the world-famous historical city of Iznik, which was the capital of four civilizations, a farmer found coins and historical...

8,000-year-old Female Figurine Discovered in Ulucak Höyük in Western Türkiye

15 August 2024

15 August 2024

One of the most prominent and oldest Neolithic sites found in what is now Turkey has yielded yet another interesting...

First Trilobite Fossil Amulet from Roman Early Empire (1st–3rd Century CE) Found in Spain

22 July 2025

22 July 2025

In a discovery that may reshape our understanding of how ancient Romans perceived the natural world, archaeologists have uncovered a...

Ancient DNA Reveals Surprising Maternal Lineages at Neolithic Çatalhöyük

28 June 2025

28 June 2025

New research, utilizing ancient DNA analysis, is challenging long-held assumptions about kinship and societal structures in one of the world’s...

A previously unknown subterranean tract of an Augustan-era aqueduct has been rediscovered in Naples

4 February 2023

4 February 2023

A previously unknown subterranean tract nearly half a mile long of an Augustan-era aqueduct has been rediscovered in Naples, southern...

An artificial intelligence “Ithaca” that will improve our understanding of ancient history

11 March 2022

11 March 2022

A deep neural network trained to restore ancient Greek texts can do so with 72% accuracy when used by historians,...

Rare Hittite bracelet, 3300 years old, found by a farmer

28 March 2022

28 March 2022

A farmer in Turkey’s Çorum province discovered a rare 3,300-year-old ancient bracelet from the Hittite era while plowing his farm....

Gold coin hoard discovered in a cup beneath a North Yorkshire kitchen floor is being auctioned off

7 September 2022

7 September 2022

A couple in North Yorkshire found an early 18th-century gold coin hoard buried under the floorboards of their kitchen. The...

Unique ‘Excalibur’ Sword Found Upright in Ground Unearthed in Spain Holds Islamic Origins

26 April 2024

26 April 2024

Researchers have finally unraveled the mysteries of the historical sword discovered in Spain 30 years ago, which they named ‘Excalibur’...

Only Those on the Righteous Path May Enter Here”: New Mosaics Unearthed in Antalya’s Olympos

19 June 2025

19 June 2025

A newly discovered mosaic inscription at the entrance of a church and elaborately decorated floor mosaics have come to light...

Stone-arched tunnel discovered near Achaemenid dam in southern Iran

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

A cultural heritage protection team has recently discovered a stone-arched tunnel located near an Achaemenid embankment dam in southern Iran....

Researchers Unearthed the First Known Neanderthal Footprints in Portugal

16 July 2025

16 July 2025

New tracksites reveal how Neanderthals navigated Portugal’s ancient dunes 80,000 years ago In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have unearthed the...