The 'Hand from Prêles' can be seen for a few weeks at Biel museum in northwestern Switzerland.
SRF-SWI
A criminal complaint has been filed against suspected grave robbers following the find of a unique Bronze Age golden artifact, in the shape of a human hand, in Switzerland.
Swiss public television SRF reports that the archeological office of Bern lodged the complaint after discovering signs of unauthorised digging at the site of the ancient burial site in northwestern Switzerland. One of the two members of the public who made the initial discovery last October told SRF that he had been quizzed by police and that his house had been searched.
Police appear to be investigating whether any artifacts were unlawfully taken from the site. The man denies violating Swiss laws on the preservation of monuments.
External Content
The 3,500-year-old golden hand artifact, considered to be an extremely rare archeological exhibit, was presented to the public on Tuesday. During this summer, archeologists also dug up a bronze dagger, robe needle and hair spiral along with bones of a human male that date to around 1,500BC to 1,400 BC.
Unique find
It is assumed that the treasure haul belonged to a person of high rank in the Bronze Age. Metals are impossible to carbon date, but the maker of the golden hand used a resin in its construction that could be dated to the same period.
Experts are mystified as to the exact function of the golden hand but assume the hollow artifact would have been attached to a scepter or statue. They also speculate that it might also have signified a god or deity.
It is unclear whether the artifact was made locally, some other region of Europe or even further afield.
On presenting the object to the public in canton Bern, archeologists said it could be the earliest known artifact in the shape of a body part that has so far been discovered.
The ‘Hand from Prêles’ (the region of the Bernese Jura where it was found) will be on temporary exhibition at the Neues Museum in Biel, from September 18 to October 15.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Zurich: how the world capital of housing shortages is tackling the problem
Living longer: What do you think about the longevity trend?
The longevity market is booming thanks in part to advances in the science of ageing. What do you think of the idea of significantly extending human lifespan?
Basel prepares 700 volunteers for the Eurovision Song Contest
This content was published on
Around 320 people took part in one of the two official information events for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Basel on Friday.
More Swiss soldiers involved in accidents during training in Austria
This content was published on
The Swiss army has reported various accidents involving Swiss soldiers during the exercise “TRIAS 25” in Austria. Some have led to hospitalisations.
Swiss court rules vegan meat substitutes can’t use animal names
This content was published on
Vegan meat substitutes may not bear animal names such as “planted.chicken” according to a ruling by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court.
Swiss cantons spared duty to create new traveller transit sites
This content was published on
Swiss cantons will no longer be formally obliged by the government to create new transit sites for the travelling community.
Swiss politicians bemoan limited access to EU treaty details
This content was published on
Protests that only a few Swiss parliamentarians will be able to read the contents of a new agreement negotiated with the EU.
This content was published on
For the first time, most Swiss residents favour withdrawing their pension pot as a lump-sum over regular annuity payments.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
7,000 years ago, on a Swiss Alp
This content was published on
Scientists from the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research at Bern University say there’s a chain of evidence supporting a theory that shepherds living in southwestern Switzerland around 5,000 BC drove their herds to pastures situated at around 2,750 metres above sea level in the Alps. “We have strong indications that argue that people were…
This content was published on
Several years ago, Sebastian Breitenbach, a post-doctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, was given a stalagmite from a cave in the central American country of Belize – an area that was part of the ancient Mayan empire – and asked to analyse it. As a paleoclimatologist, he knew what to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.