An unusually well-preserved gauntlet of armor was discovered recently during an excavation near Kyburg Castle in northeastern Switzerland.
Archaeologists in Switzerland recently made an unusual discovery while excavating the land around a medieval castle near the German border. The crews unearthed a well-preserved gauntlet that experts believe was forged during the 14th century, which would be unprecedented, officials said in an announcement that described the armor as a "sensational find."
"At first, Lorena Burkhardt hardly dared to voice her suspicions: This is a sensation in archeology!" reads a translated post shared on Facebook earlier this month by the canton of Zürich. It accompanies a video where Burkhardt, an archeologist leading the excavation, discusses the ancient artifact.
"Never before has such a well-preserved and complete gauntlet from the 14th century appeared in Switzerland," the post continues. "Who did the gauntlet belong to? Was it newly made in the Kyburg forge or already worn in battle? Cantonal archeology will now investigate such questions."
The crews unearthed a well-preserved gauntlet that experts believe was forged during the 14th century, which would be unprecedented, officials said in an announcement that described the armor as a "sensational find."
This gauntlet was discovered during an excavation near Kyburg Castle, which is about 20 miles northeast of Zürich and in the modern era serves as a Swiss heritage site and museum.
"In detail, it is a four-fold finger glove on the right hand, in which the individual iron plates are placed on top of each other like scales and connected to each other with rivets on the sides," the announcement says.
Officials noted that the armor's condition and the rarity of such a find in Switzerland leaves a number of unanswered questions about how it got to Kyburg and who it may have belonged to.
A copy of the gauntlet will be put on display permanently at Kyburg Castle, alongside a reconstructed version of the armored glove to show what it may have originally looked like.
They will have to wait a bit longer to see the true original, which is set to be shown at Kyburg only temporarily, for three weeks this fall starting on European Heritage Day, which is Sept. 7.
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