Rare 700-year-old piece of armor unearthed near castle in Switzerland, photos show
Archaeologists exploring the area near a hilltop castle in Switzerland found pieces of burned-down walls and charred framing — and discovered the ruins of a medieval cellar.
Within the cellar, experts found evidence of a weaving center and an array of metal objects indicating the existence of a forge. As they looked closer, the team spotted something else: a nearly fully preserved iron gauntlet.
The piece of armor is an exceptional discovery dating back about 700 years to the 14th century, according to a Jan. 16 news release from the Canton of Zürich.
Archaeologists have previously discovered similar artifacts, but most are from no later than the 15th century, officials said. Although five other gauntlets from earlier have been found, none are in near as good condition as the newly discovered armor.
The right hand four-fold finger glove is made of iron plates placed on top of one another, similar to scales, and connected with rivets, experts said. The pieces of the glove were then attached to the textile or leather inside with more rivets.
The armor offered its wearer a great range of movement and flexibility, likely so they could hold a sword while wearing the glove, Lorena Burkhardt, a project manager on the archaeology team, said in a Jan. 16 Facebook video shared by officials.
Inside the cellar, archaeologists also unearthed a trove of ancient metal objects, including a mold, hammer and tweezers, according to Burkhardt. The cellar was likely used as a weaving center where metal objects were forged.
Fragments of the corresponding left hand gauntlet were also discovered, archaeologists said.
Experts found the cellar near Kyburg Castle, which is about 15 miles northeast of Zürich.
The first mention of Kyburg Castle was in 1079, and its name means refuge castle, according to its website. Since 1865, the castle has functioned as a museum.
Google Translate was used to translate a news release and video from the Canton of Zürich.
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