Teenager unearths dagger used by Roman soldier

A teenager in Germany has made a stunning discovery, finding a 2,000-year-old silver dagger in a Roman soldier's grave.

The 19-year-old intern discovered the dagger and sheath as well as the remains of the decorated leather belt during an archaeological dig in Haltern am See in western Germany.

The weapon first had to be X-rayed and CT scanned. Because of corrosion, it took scientists nine months of sandblasting and grinding to restore the 13-inch-long weapon to its former glory.

Bettina Tremmel, an archaeologist at the Westphalie Department for the Preservation and Care of Field Monuments in Germanysaid: "The discovery of the dagger was emotional. We were lost for words.

"Imagine: Though thousands of Roman soldiers were stationed in Haltern over almost 15 years or more, there are only a few finds of weapons, especially complete and intact ones."

Tremmel said that the dagger was probably used by an infantryman or an officer known as a centurion.