Archaeologists use 3D technology to 'unfold' bronze armor from Trojan War era

three views of 3d reconstructed chest armor

A 3D reconstruction (right) of the armor fragment (center) based on an example from France (left). (Image credit: Martin Kosťál)

Archaeologists analyzing fragments of bronze recovered near Brno, Czech Republic, have made a surprising discovery: 3,200-year-old pieces of a warrior's chest armor. This is only the second time ancient bronze armor has been found in the country.

In 2023, metal detectorists reported finding a cache of objects that included a spearhead, a sickle, a needle and several fragments of copper. The objects had been purposefully damaged and buried together, possibly as part of a ritual, according to a translated statement from Brno City Museum.

But it took experts two years to study a curious piece of folded metal recovered from the site.

"Using 3D scanning, we managed to digitally 'unpack' the bent sheet metal and identify its shape and decor," Aleš Navrátil, an archaeologist at the Brno City Museum, said in the statement. "It was the ornament, recognized under a microscope, that confirmed that it was part of the body-protecting armor."

The armor has been dated to the Late Bronze Age (1600 to 1200 B.C.), a time period associated with the Trojan War and with societal collapse in the Mediterranean. At the time, bronze armor was used by elite warriors, while non-elite soldiers likely wore protective garments made from organic material that does not preserve over time.

six bronze artifacts on a white background — Bronze artifacts from the find included a spearhead, a needle fragment, a bent sickle and armor fragments (bottom). (Image credit: Brno City Museum)

The bronze chest plate is "extremely rare" and valuable, and its discovery was unexpected, the museum said. Because of this, the exact location where the artifacts were found is not being announced to the public.