When it was discovered, it looked like a piece of stone just 3.6 centimeters long covered by a layer of sediment.
The stone was discovered in the tomb of a Bronze Age fighter in Greece. Science Alert notes that although the grave was abandoned to search for more valuable treasures, the small piece of stone has proven to be one of the most important discoveries.
After nearly a year of cleaning, the researchers discovered a valuable stone with a sculptured image: in fact, the object was used in that period to stamp a clay or wax image, being considered by researchers as “one of the finest works of Greek art from the prehistoric period discovered to date”. They added that they could rewrite the history of Greece.
On the stone there is a fighter who swarms an enemy with the sword, while another is already at his feet. The tomb was discovered in 2015, inside of which was the skeleton of a Mycenaean, called the Griffin Warrior, after an artifact discovered near him.
The grave was full of treasures, with over 1,500 pieces discovered, including gold and silver rings, indicating the status of the fighter.
In the recently presented artefact, researcher Jack Davis said that “what is really fascinating is how the human body was carved, with lots of details that we only find in paintings made 1,000 years later.” Experts suggest that the stone would have been engraved with the help of a powerful magnifying glass at that time.
