Only the elite had this kind of protection.

• A metal detectorist found a haul of artifacts in 2023, and analysis has finally determined that one of the bronze discoveries was a piece of 3,200-year-old armor.
• Experts in the Czech Republic believe that the armor could have been part of the siege of Troy.
• Experts used digital analysis to confirm the historical significance of the armor, and consider it an “extremely rare” find.

An inconspicuous piece of curved metal discovered in the Czech Republic by an amateur metal detectorist has proven a fascinating find. After two years of high-tech analysis, experts have come to believe that the bronze object was once armor used in the Trojan War 3,200 years ago.

The metal detectorist initially discovered a whole collection of artifacts in 2023—including a spearhead, sickle, needle, and fragments of copper—all likely purposely buried together in a sacrificial ritual. But now, a couple of years later, one of the unassuming pieces of metal has become the headliner of the discovery, as experts believe it was the chest plate of an elite warrior from about 1200 B.C.

“Using 3D scanning, we managed to digitally ‘unfold’ the folded sheet metal and identify its shape and décor,” Ales Navratil, archaeologist at the Brno City Museum, said in a translated statement from the museum. “It was the ornament, recognized under a microscope, that confirmed that it was part of the body-protecting armor.”

This is only the second known piece of bronze armor found in the Czech Republic, and dating it to 3,200 years ago ties it to the infamous Trojan War.

The initial find occurred at an undisclosed location—the secrecy is for the sake of the site’s protection and preservation—and was treated as a cooperative discovery between the metal detectorist and the Regional Museum in Mikulov. The Brno City Museum and staff at Masaryk University worked to analyze what first appeared to be an inconsequential section of bronze amidst other bronze fragments. Now, museum experts call the armor a “remarkable discovery” that is “extremely rare.”

During the Trojan War, most armor was crafted from organic material, meaning that it wasn’t able to stand the test of time. Only privileged warriors in an elite class had access to bronze armor, which required not only the ability to purchase the metal, but the know-how to craft it into armor. The “extraordinary craftsmanship” on this piece implies it belonged to a warrior of importance.

To preserve the sheet of metal, experts used the 3D scan to digitally unfold the piece.

“This find confirms the importance of long-term cooperation between experts and the public,” Zbynek Solc, director of the Brno City Museum, said in a statement. “Thanks to it, we can discover and protect valuable artifacts that bring us closer to ancient eras and bring new knowledge about our history.”

The museum—located in the Baroque fortress of Spilberk Castle known as the Dungeon of the Nations—plans to create a public presentation featuring the armor in an attempt to bring the “world of ancient warriors closer and connect Moravian history with the legendary epics of the ancient world.”