The gauntlet was found alongside over 50 metal objects, including a hammer, tweezers, tongs, pliers, knives, keys, and fragments of the left-handed glove. Luckily, they came across the collection of items before construction work began at the site.
The recent discovery marks the first time that a gauntlet from the 14th century has been dug up in Switzerland.
While European knights and soldiers started wearing gauntlets in the 11th century, it is rare to find one that predates the 15th century, which is the time period that the previously oldest known gauntlets were from.
“So far, only five other gauntlets from this period have been found during archaeological excavations in Switzerland, although none of these pieces is anywhere near as well-preserved and shows as many details of design and decoration as the Kyburg gauntlet,” wrote the researchers.
However, it is still unclear who exactly wore the glove. The researchers also don’t know if the glove was newly made or had already seen battle. They will be working on investigating these questions for the time being.
In late March, a copy of the glove is scheduled to be publicly displayed as part of a permanent exhibit at Kyburg Castle. The original gauntlet will go on display at the castle for three weeks in the fall.
