Spoon engraved with Hebrew name unearthed from Nazi killing center, photos show

The spoon had been buried underground for nearly eight decades, leaving it dirty and discolored.

But, the inscription on its handle was still legible. It simply said “Joseph” in Hebrew.

The utensil is one of many World War II artifacts recently unearthed at Nazi sites across Europe.

The objects — which include bottles, scissors and other household items — were presented to the media in Germany, according to a July 10 news release from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation.

The engraved spoon was among several artifacts found on the grounds of a Nazi killing center in Austria, officials said.

The objects were discovered inside of a pit at the Hartheim Castle, located about 20 miles from the German border.

Between 1940 and 1944, around 30,000 people were killed at the castle, most of whom were physically or mentally disabled, according to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

About 6,000 prisoners from concentration camps — including Dachau, Gusen and Mauthausen — were also killed there.

Near the end of the war, a large number of the victims’ personal belongings were buried in eight pits on the grounds as part of an effort to cover up their killing.

The release did not say if the newly uncovered pit was one of them.

One of the other newfound artifacts was discovered at Adolf Hitler’s mountain retreat in Bavaria, known as Obersalzberg.

While sifting through the rubble of a house at the site, archaeologists stumbled upon a comb.

Made of plastic, it says “Rhenatin” — the name of a brand of plastic in Germany at the time — and appears to have been sold sometime in the 1940s.

Who might have owned it? Archaeologists don’t know.

But, while the exact origin of these artifacts may never be known, they nonetheless are parts of history and should be preserved, according to the release.

They provide information about what possessions higher ranking SS officers and their employees had in contrast to the people persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime.

These archaeological finds are also becoming increasingly important as time goes on and few people remain who were present for the horrors of the Holocaust, officials said.

Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation.