ITALY: Scholars once believed that a type of copper-alloy dagger commonly found in burials across Bronze Age Europe was ceremonial rather than functional. It was thought that these blades were included in graves to symbolize the warrior status of the dead. However, a new study employing cutting-edge technology detected the presence of muscle fibers and collagen from animal bone on daggers found in the village of Pragatto. This suggests that the knives were used to butcher and process animal carcasses and were not solely symbolic.

Source: archaeology.org