Bronze Age spearhead found in river by archaeologists

Italian archaeologists found a spearhead at the bottom of the River Stella, which they determined to be of Bronze Age age.

A historic spearhead was found by Italian archaeologists from the University of Udine. The researchers conducted the work as part of the 10th installment of the cyclical project “Anaxum– Archaeology and History of the River Landscape”. All work was carried out in collaboration with the Superintendent of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region.

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The latest archaeological research focused on a section of the river located in the municipality of Palazzolo dello Stella. Working underwater, it concerned the remains of an ancient bridge forming a crossing on the route of the 2nd century Roman road Via Annia.

The analyses they made on the site and on the remains they found resulted in a new hypothesis. According to it, the bridge built along the Via Annia, at this narrowest point of the river, had two arches. During underwater work also found and excavated Late Bronze Age spearhead. Archaeologists have reported that the artefact is in a very good state of preservation.

The research has provided a better understanding of the nature of the archaeological site along this stretch of river. Although the work that researchers carry out year after year within the Anaxum project is very demanding. Nevertheless, they gather results that make it possible to then write important pages for the history of the territory of Friuli – said Massimo Capulli, head of underwater work and coordinator of the Anaxum project.

A decade of research

The Anaxum project was born in 2011. All thanks to the collaboration of the then Department of History and Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the University of Udine and the Archaeological Superintendency of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Texas A&M University (United States) and the Universities of Padua and Trieste collaborated on the project. The Anaxum project aims to study the archaeological landscape of the Stella River.

The heart of the initiative is interdisciplinary research group. It uses the river as a laboratory to training of underwater archaeologists to work in problematic water environments, while developing integrated and innovative geophysical techniques.

The project campaigns are the only educational archaeological excavations in the river environment at national and international level – stressed Capulli

Invaluable experience

By participating in archaeological excavations, young people can hone their skills and gain experience in using underwater excavation tools. Also this year, a team of students dived into the current of the River Stella and learned how to work in the murky and cold water. No doubt the valuable experience will bear fruit in the future, during future excavations.