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
Workplace Switzerland
Meet the foreigners who make up a quarter of the Swiss population
What can be done to protect biodiversity in your country?
Swiss voters are set to decide on a people’s initiative calling for better protection of ecosystems in the country. Have your say on the September 22 vote.
Zurich Film Festival to host 35 world or European premieres
This content was published on
A host of stars are expected at this year's Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), which celebrates its 20th anniversary on October 3.
Switzerland’s population crosses the nine million mark
This content was published on
The permanent resident population in Switzerland exceeded nine million people for the first time at the end of June this year.
Swiss foreign ministry expresses concern after explosions in Lebanon
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed its deep concern following the explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday. In a post on X, it calls on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint in order to prevent a major regional escalation.
Switzerland receives UN mandate for meeting on Middle East conflict
This content was published on
Switzerland will organise a meeting of the parties to the Geneva Conventions on the Middle East conflict within six months.
Meyer Burger replaces top management and cuts 200 jobs
This content was published on
The ailing solar company Meyer Burger is attempting to break free with a new restructuring programme. The CEO is leaving the company. Numerous employees will also lose their jobs.
Swiss study: kindergarten children calculate much better with their fingers
This content was published on
Counting with their fingers makes kindergarten children better at arithmetic, according to a study by the University of Lausanne.
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.