Archaeologists Found a 700-Year-Old Dagger Symbolically Shaped Like Testicles

A discovery of a testicle-shaped dagger at an ancient fortress was likely a bold statement and a useful weapon.
Archaeologists working at the Gullberg fortress in Sweden uncovered a trove of weapons, including the Medieval dagger worn on the belt.
Finds at the fortress also featured beer barrel stoppers, cannonballs, crossbow arrows, and a sand spreader to help dry ink.

Archaeologists uncovered a testicle-shaped dagger buried at the ancient Gullberg fortress, and experts believe the dagger, with two round testicle-like decorations on the hilt, was worn, well, where you’d think it would be worn.

Arkeologerna announced the find—via a translated statement—that occurred at the Gothenburg-area fortress, which was built in the 14^th century A.D., initially as a simple blockhouse surrounded by a palisade wall. The fortified site on a cliff overlooking the Göta River was likely in response to the nearby Danish-Norwegian castles on Hisingen. The site continued to expand and was used as a fortress for centuries until eventually being replaced by the Skansen Lejonet fort.

The ruins, though, offer plenty of insight into life from the 14^th through 17^th centuries.

While the testicle dagger—the two rounded spheres on the hilt may have helped the user get a good grip when delivering a death blow through armor—was likely a Tudor-era flex for a warrior, the site featured plenty of other examples of life behind the fortifications.

“We did not think there would be as much left as there was,” said Anders Altner, archaeologist at the State Historical Museum. “They combined different construction components when building the fortification, in some parts they were built of stone and brick, other parts seem to be built of earthworks and timber. The basement room was particularly exciting, with a well-preserved staircase, floor, and parts of walls and the roof still intact.”

Originally a border fortress when King Birger Magnusson ruled, the site was in use, thanks to the two forts, until the 19^thcentury, and demolished stone walls include ramparts and tower rooms from the early construction. The site consists of remains of houses, walls, and earthworks extending into the 17^th century.

The team found a sundial, beer taps and stoppers, a drinking cup, a spoon, and even a sand spreader to help ink dry on written pages. Crossbow arrows were dated to the 15^th century, and cannonballs to the 17^th century.

The testicle-shaped dagger was common in Northern Europe from the 1300s until the 1800s, according to the Daily Mail, used both in war and in everyday life when swords were restricted and knives were common forms of cutlery.

Analyzing the remnants of material from the fortress help tell a broader story, experts said. Details on the ceramics showed that some pieces were imported and others manufactured in Sweden, while the wood used in a bridge was from the 1460s, and wood in some of the buildings dated to around 1570.

That dagger, though… it must have had folks talking.

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