Abstract
Combat experiments with copies of Bronze Age weapons were performed with the help of ancient combat experts. Different combat situations were tested. The experimentally obtained traces from combat were used to guide the microscopic analysis of several Bronze Age weapons from different contexts. This allowed the reconstruction of what happened to the weaponry precededing their deposition in ritual contexts. The results validate the hypothesis that for many weapons actual partaking in battle could have been the reason why such items were selected to enter the ritual sphere. This indicates how intertwined violent practices were with coeval worldviews.