A Crusader-era sword had been buried in sand and barnacles for centuries on Israel’s Mediterranean coast, until a university student discovered its handle poking out from the ocean floor.
Shlomi Katsin, a graduate student at Haifa University’s Department of Marine Civilization, said she saw a group of divers with metal detectors while swimming and feared they were antiquities thieves, according to a translated statement from Haifa University. After driving the group away, Katsin noticed the hilt of a sword in the sand.
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“This is a very unusual discovery that reveals the presence of the Crusaders on this country’s coast,” Zwickel said in a statement. “Only a handful of similar swords from the Crusade period (1095-1291 AD) are known in the country,” he said, adding: “This discovery makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the use of maritime anchorages and the lives of warriors during this period.”
During the Crusades, Christians in Western Europe led a series of religious wars against Muslims, primarily to control the Holy Land. These religious wars were led by European knights sanctioned by the Catholic pope. Relics such as swords and shields reveal how brutal the fighting was during this period.
A newly discovered 12th-century weapon is giving archaeologists a rare look into the movements of medieval warriors along the Mediterranean coast. The researchers used hospital CT scans to non-invasively view the inside of the sword, without having to scrape away the marine sediment stuck to the iron core.
Scans revealed how harsh the sea was on ancient relics, as the blade was damaged and only a small portion of the original iron core remained. However, it is certain that the sword was designed for one-handed combat, and its construction indicates that it was probably a Crusader, perhaps Frankish.
“During the Middle Ages, the sword became a symbol of knighthood and knighthood, as well as a symbol of the Christian faith,” said Sarah Lantos, a researcher at the Department of Marine Civilizations at the University of Haifa’s Faculty of Archeology and Marine Civilizations. “The discovery and study of such symbolic and personal objects is rare and enriches our knowledge of the material culture of the Crusader period. Moreover, they give us a unique opportunity to learn about the life of Frankish knights in the Holy Land.”
Research on the sword is ongoing. The previous sword excavated by Katsin in 2021 also dates from the Crusades. Swords were usually not thrown away because the metal was valuable and could be recycled. Therefore, the owners of these swords likely lost their swords at sea, which could have been difficult or even fatal.
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