Story highlights Tomb of Bronze Age warrior-king unearthed in Pylos, Greece

1,400 objects, including jewels, weapons and armor, found inside

Discovery should yield insights on ancient world at dawn of European civilization

(CNN) Archaeologists in Pylos, southwest Greece, have excavated the intact tomb of a wealthy Bronze Age warrior-king buried about 3,500 years ago, in a discovery the team's co-leader hailed as "one of the most magnificent displays of prehistoric wealth discovered in mainland Greece in the past 65 years."

Greece's Ministry of Culture announced the discovery of the trove, which contained more than 1,400 objects, including a three-foot long bronze sword with an ivory hilt, four solid gold rings -- more than found at any single burial elsewhere in Greece -- and ivory combs and carvings, depicting griffons and a lion.

Also in the shaft tomb was a unique necklace of box-shaped golden wires, gold and silver goblets, and more than 50 intricately carved seals -- made in the style of the Minoan culture of the large island of Crete, to the southeast -- depicting goddesses, reeds, altars, lions and men jumping over bulls.

Photos: Riches of a Bronze Age warrior-king's tomb Four solid-gold rings were found in the tomb -- more than have been found at any single burial site elsewhere in Greece, according to the archaeologists. This one depicts a Cretan bull running scene. Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Riches of a Bronze Age warrior-king's tomb This 30-inch necklace, with two gold pendants decorated with ivy leaves, was found near the neck of the warrior-king's skeleton. "Nothing like this has ever been found," said Jack Davis, co-leader of the University of Cincinnati team which discovered the site. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Riches of a Bronze Age warrior-king's tomb More than 40 intricately-designed seal stones from the more advanced Minoan culture on the nearby island of Crete were found in the tomb. Long-horned bulls and sometimes, human bull jumpers soaring over their horns, are a common motif in Minoan designs. Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Riches of a Bronze Age warrior-king's tomb One of six ivory combs found in the tomb. The discovery challenges some older ideas around gender, said excavation team co-leader Sharon Stocker; when combs or mirrors were found in tombs where multiple people were buried, it was assumed they belonged to the women. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Riches of a Bronze Age warrior-king's tomb A bronze mirror with an ivory handle. Greece's general secretary of the Ministry of Culture Maria Vlazaki said it was "extremely rare for an unlooted tomb of such great significance to be unearthed." Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Riches of a Bronze Age warrior-king's tomb Sharon Stocker with the 3,500 year-old skull found in the warrior-king's tomb. "We have no idea of the identity of this man," she said, other than he was important and rich. "We are looking at a period in Greece where people where usually buried with ceramic objects but this man was so rich that there were no ceramics. He was buried with bronze, silver and gold." Hide Caption 6 of 6

The find has astonished and excited the archaeological community, both for the rare richness of the trove and the insights it promises to reveal on the ancient world at the dawn of European civilization.

"We were certainly not expecting to find anything like this," said Sharon Stocker who, along with husband Jack Davis, led the team of archaeologists from the University of Cincinnati in discovering the site.

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