This rare Copper Age dagger as well as other artifacts unearthed at the site suggest that Tina Jama cave was frequented by ancient people for thousands of years.
Davide BonaduceThis leaf-shaped dagger is roughly four inches long and made from copper.
Deep inside Tina Jama cave, located in northern Italy’s Trieste Karst region, archaeologists have unearthed a number of stunning artifacts that date back to the Copper Age. The most striking among them was a leaf-shaped copper dagger that appears to be roughly 4,000 years old.
This dagger and the other objects found at the site raise questions about how Copper Age people used Tina Jama cave thousands of years ago. The various archaeological layers of the cave suggest that it was used by ancient people for millennia, though its purpose remains somewhat shrouded in mystery.
The Copper Age Dagger Found In Italy’s Tina Jama Cave
Federico BernardiniArchaeologists excavating Tina Jama cave, which was seemingly used by ancient people for millennia.
According to a statement from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the Copper Age dagger was found at Tina Jama cave near the Italian commune of Sgonico by a team of Italian-Slovenian archaeologists.
During their excavation of the cave, the archaeologists unearthed a number of objects including flint arrowheads and blades, obsidian artifacts, polished stone axes, shell ornaments, and various ceramic and stone artifacts. But the most exciting find was certainly the copper dagger.
“The moment we found the dagger was unforgettable,” archaeologists Elena Leghissa and Federico Bernardini told All That’s Interesting in an email. “As we carefully removed the last layers of soil, a flash of copper caught our eyes. At first, we couldn’t believe it — finding metal artifacts, especially something as rare as a dagger, was entirely unexpected in this context. We immediately realized that this was a significant discovery, one that completely changed our perspective on the site.”
Federico BernardiniThe copper dagger is small but significant — and may offer clues about how Tina Jama cave was used by ancient people.
The dagger is small, just under four inches long and has a distinctive “leaf shape.” Leghissa and Bernardini told All That’s Interesting that the discovery was “remarkable,” “surprising,” and “exciting,” since such objects “are typically found in a funerary contexts.”
Indeed, archaeologists believe that the dagger might offer clues about how ancient people once used Tina Jama cave — and whether or not it was a funerary site.
How Did Copper Age People Use Tina Jama Cave?
Wikimedia CommonsSgonico is an Italian commune near the Slovenian border. The more famous Grotta Gigante cave is located in the same region.
Though archaeologists aren’t sure how ancient people used Tina Jama cave, they suspect that the cave was in use for thousands of years. Some ancient clues uncovered at the cave offer hints about its purpose.
In addition to the dagger and other artifacts, archaeologists also documented a “structure made of stone slabs and blocks” that was used to block the entrance of the cave for hundreds of years roughly between 2000 and 1500 B.C.E. Curiously, archaeologists also detected “fragments of human skulls” near the object which may support the idea that the cave was used for funerary purposes. Then again, they also acknowledged that it might have been constructed to protect the cave from bora winds.
Archaeologists also found evidence inside the cave from before the stone block was built, including ceramic objects and trace evidence of a hearth. This suggests that the people who frequented the cave had close contacts with the Dalmatian area in the second half of the 3rd millennium B.C.E.
So what does it all mean?
“The discovery of a copper dagger, along with a stone structure and human remains near this structure, has led us to reconsider the cave’s purpose,” Leghissa and Bernardini told All That’s Interesting. “These finds, along with certain other ‘exotic’ objects, suggest that the cave may have been used for ritual or possibly funerary purposes.”
Questions remain, but archaeologists are enthusiastic about what they’ve found — and what they may find in the future. The artifacts of Tina Jama cave, from the copper dagger to the stone block at the entrance, suggest that the cave was used by ancient people for millennia.
“[W]e plan to continue [excavations] the coming years,” Leghissa and Bernardini told All That’s Interesting. “The findings at Tina Cave so far indicate significant potential to deepen our understanding of the prehistory of the northern Adriatic.”
After reading about the Copper Age dagger found in an Italian cave, look through these photos of some of the world’s most beautiful caves. Then, learn about some of the world’s most astonishing underground cities.
