Archaeologists discover huge sword and bronze mirror in 4th century Japanese burial site

Archaeologists have found an unusually shaped bronze mirror and a large iron sword in the Tomiomaruyama kofun, an ancient burial mound in Japan. The mound was built in the second half of the fourth century, and excavations began in 2018.

According to The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, the mirror and sword were found in clay covering a 5-meter-long wooden coffin, which, in turn, was found in a previous burial.

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Experts consider this find to be unprecedented. The mirror has the shape of a shield and intricate patterns on the reverse side, and the sword, which is about 2.37 meters long, has a curved blade.

According to scientists, the sword was a ceremonial object, not a weapon. Archaeologists hope that studying the contents of the coffin will reveal interesting details about the buried person. The Kofun period was characterized by the spread of the burial mound culture and the emergence of the state of the same name in the Yamato region (modern Nara Prefecture) from the III to the VII century.

As a reminder, the skeleton of a man who was executed with Catherine's wheel was discovered in Milan.

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