Ommerschans Dirk, Bronze Age ceremonial sword in Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Netherlands
The Ommerschans Dirk is a Bronze Age ceremonial sword measuring 68.3 centimeters in length and weighing about 2.8 kilograms, with an unsharpened blade lacking mounting holes. The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden displays it alongside other Bronze Age objects including canoes, fish traps, gold necklaces, and axes.
This sword was discovered in 1896 near Ommerschans in Overijssel and remained in private hands for decades before the museum acquired it in 2017. The object dates to the period between 1500 and 1350 BCE.
This sword belongs to a group of six large ceremonial swords found across Western Europe, showing that metalworkers at the time created such objects with remarkable skill. These weapons were too heavy and fragile for combat and likely served ceremonial or religious purposes.
The sword is kept in climate-controlled collection rooms where stable conditions optimize its preservation. Visitors should know it is a delicate object that must be viewed from a safe distance.
The sword was found on a platform of birch posts beneath peat soil, accompanied by small bronze tools and grinding stones. These burial conditions allowed the object to remain in remarkably good condition for thousands of years.
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