A bronze sword made more than 3,000 years ago was unearthed in Germany and is so well preserved that it “almost still shines,” authorities say.

The sword, believed to date from the late 14th century BC (mid-Bronze Age), was found during excavations last week in Norway, between Nυremberg and Stυttgart by the King of Germany, according to the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments.

It has an octagonal bronze handle and comes with a tomb in which three people (a man, a woman and a boy) were buried in rapid succession with bronze objects, the Bavarian office said in a statement this week.

It is still unclear whether the three people were related to each other and, if so, what their relationship was.

German authorities say the 3,000-year-old sword is a “very rare” discovery. (Source: Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation)

“The sword and the burial remains must still be examined so that our archaeologists can classify this find more precisely,” explained the head of the office, Mathias Pfeil.

“But we can already say that the state of conservation is extraordinary. A find like this is very rare.”

Swords from that period are rare but have emerged from grave mounds opened in the 19th century or as individual finds, the office said.

The sword was found among bones in a tomb in Germany. (Footnote: Bavarian State Museum Preservation Office)