Rare 5000-Year-Old Crystal “Most Sophisticated” Prehistoric Dagger Found in Spain

• Experts described it as “most technically sophisticated’ ever to be uncovered in Prehistoric Iberia.”
• It would have taken truly superior skills to carve the dagger.
• They also speculated that the rock crystals may have had symbolic significance and that people use it for magical powers, vitality, and to connect with ancestors.

Prehistoric tools have been discovered all over the world for a long time now, but this dagger found in Spain is unlike those other ancient tools – this 5000-year-old weapon is made of rock crystal.

A team of researchers from the University of Granada, the University of Seville, and the Spanish Higher Research Council unearthed this remarkable dagger while excavating the megalithic tomb of Montelirio tholos from 2007 to 2010.

The weapon was made from rock crystal and the experts described it as “most technically sophisticated’ ever to be uncovered in Prehistoric Iberia.”

They added that it would have taken truly superior skills to carve the dagger. Most ancient weapons discovered are made of stone or flint.

Along with the dagger, which is nearly 8.5 inches long, are other artifacts – 10 arrowheads, four blades, and a core used for making weapons. These are also made of rock crystal.

The dagger was found far from the crystal mines, which could mean that the weapon once belonged to a powerful person who can afford to pay the large sum needed to have source and shape the materials.

The blade’s face was polished, which may have been done to keep the object from fractures and other damages while it was being shaped. The experts speculate that it was made using a monocrystal “at least eight inches long and two inches thick, and was designed to fit with an ivory handle.”

The experts also speculated that during this time, rock crystals may have had symbolic significance and that people use it for magical powers, vitality, and to connect with ancestors.

The tomb where the lot was discovered was located in a settlement called ‘Valencina de la Concepcion Castilleja de Guzman,’which is in the lower Guadalquivir valley that sits within the metropolitan area of Seville. The settlement is referred to as the largest and most significant site from Copper Age Iberia.

The study, which was published in the journal Quaternary International in 2015, said that “[The weapons] probably represent funerary paraphernalia only accessible to the elite of this time-period.”