A medieval smith’s hoard from Kobruvere

Abstract

In late 2025, the site of a medieval blacksmith’s hoard in the village of Kobruvere, Viljandi County, was investigated, and the lower part of the hoard, still in its original position and apparently concealed in a wooden chest, was excavated. The assemblage, weighing approximately 20 kilograms, contained blacksmithing and woodworking tools, unfinished objects, scrap iron, and Swedish osmund iron, including the first medieval forging tongs known from Estonia. Metallographic analysis of three iron bars showed that the blacksmith worked with iron and steel of different properties, including folded and heat-treated materials. The combination of tools, semi-finished products, and raw materials is more characteristic of a working smithy than a typical hoard and provides rare insight into late medieval rural ironworking. The objects indicate that the assemblage was concealed in the late 15th or early 16th century.