Sword with fully cast hilt from the bed of the west Morava river

In 2022, during the construction works on the route of the ?-761 Corridor, a bronze sword with a fully cast hilt was recorded in gravel pit no. 8, on the right bank of the West Morava river. Additional surveys of the location determined that the wider area represents the former riverbed from which the sword most likely originates. The find represents an exceptional example of a sword with three parallel transverse midribs, whose ornamental motifs clearly point to the Gundelsheim type (i.e., the former Erlach type). The decoration on the upper and lower discs of the pommel clearly indicates south-western German workshops, since it is one of the most common and most representative, if not the most favourite ornamental combinations on the swords of the Gundelsheim type in this region. The sword was X-rayed and subject to XRF analyses at the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences. The blade was also analysed for use-wear. With the other bronze swords of the so-called Central European type in the territory of the Balkans (Riegsee and Reutlingen), the sword from the bed of the West Morava river certainly represents the herald of changes that occurred during the Late Bronze Age in parts of the Mediterranean and its hinterland. It should be highlighted that this sword represents the first example of this type recorded south of the Sava and Danube, with a quite narrow dating, to a period of 1200-1100 BC.