A Bronze Age Bra discovered in Moravia –

A rare Bronze Age bronze breastplate was found in an undisclosed place in South Moravia. This is just the second example of bronze armor ever discovered in the Czech Republic.

A piece of metal paper was found during the 2023 excavation and buried with spearheads, sickles, dowels and some metal fragments. These objects were intentionally damaged and buried together, possibly as sacrifices. The metal sheet cannot be unfolded, so archaeologists at the Brno City Museum used a 3D scanner to unfold it digitally. They were then able to “smooth” the metal, reconstruct its original shape and reveal its subtle decoration.

The history of armor dates back to 3200, the same as Homer described the battle of Trojan. Then the bronze part of the armor is only a privilege of the warrior elite. Their production required extraordinary craftsmanship, so in the conditions of the time, at astronomical quantities: For example, in Homer’s Iliad, Diomedes said the cost of armor was nine bulls.

At that time, the Moravian territory was inhabited by a culture called the Urnfield culture. However, this is not a “country”, but a cultural circle, an unrelated group of people with common customs and burials, pottery, settlements and even weapon styles.

The buried armor and other artifacts will be displayed publicly in the Brno City Museum.