An unearthed bronze sword more than 3,000 years old is in such great condition it 'almost still shines,' preservation officials say

• Archaeologists made a rare find when they recently unearthed a more than 3,000-year-old bronze sword.
• The blade is in such pristine condition that it "almost still shines," according to preservation officials.

Archaeologists have unearthed a more than 3,000-year-old bronze sword from a burial site in Germany — and the blade is in such pristine condition that it "almost still shines," said local preservation officials.

The octagonal sword, believed to date back to the late 14th century BCE during the Middle Bronze Age, was discovered last week during excavations in the German town of Noerdlingen, Bavaria, according to a statement from the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.

"The sword and the burial still need to be examined so that our archeologists can categorize this find more precisely," said the head of the office, Professor Mathias Pfeil, the Associated Press reported.

"But we can already say that the state of preservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare," Pfeil added.

The Bavarian state office said that the sword was plucked from a three-person grave that contained the remains of a man, woman, and teenager.

Each of the remains was accompanied by bronze offerings, officials said. It is not clear whether the three individuals were related to one another.

Sword finds from this period are rare, according to the office, which said the blades have sometimes come from burial mounds intentionally opened in the 19th century.

The historic Bronze Age lasted roughly from around 3300 BCE to 1200 BCE.