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Mystery of Crusader's Sword Found at Bottom of Sea Finally Solved
BY JESS THOMSON ON 7/24/23 AT 7:33 AM EDT

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Archaeologists Discover Exceptionally Well-Preserved 3,000-Year-Old Sword
TECH & SCIENCE
ARCHAEOLOGY
ISRAEL
ANCIENT HISTORY
UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGY

An ancient iron sword found off the coast of Israel is thought to have
dropped into the ocean around 800 years ago during a fierce battle
between Crusaders and Muslim residents.

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The weapon was initially covered in thick layers of sand and shells from
its centuries under the sea, which was both a blessing and a curse.
While the layers of sedimentation protected the sword from being broken
down by the elements, it made it hard to study the sword itself without
causing damage.

While it was fished out from the depths in 2021, the sword has now been
examined using X-rays and officially described in a new study in the
Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) journal Atiqot.

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The Crusades were a series of religious wars sparked by the Christian
church between 1095 and 1291, which involved sending missionaries to the
Middle East to attempt to remove the influence of Islam. The First
Crusade resulted in the conquest of Jerusalem from the Fatimid Caliphate
in 1099, with proceeding wars continuing for 200 more years.

medieval sword
Stock image of a medieval sword. An ancient sword from the Crusades has
been discovered under the ocean in Israel.
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
"It is unfortunate that we can't see the sword as it was," the
researchers said in a Facebook post from the IAA. "On the other hand,
the concretion is responsible for slowing down the oxidation process,
preserving the sword in its entirety. Otherwise, the iron would have
rusted and disintegrated in the water."

The study explains how the sword was studied without removing the
"biogenic crust" layer of sand and shells, using X-rays to examine how
it looked beneath its coating. They dated it back around 800 years to
the "twelfth to thirteenth centuries."

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"The sword was used by a Crusader warrior who settled in the country
after the First Crusade and established the Kingdom of Jerusalem in
1099," Jacob Sharvit, a researcher from the IAA, said in the post.

"Considering the bloody battles that took place in the country between
the Crusaders and the Muslims, known from several historical sources, we
could expect to find more such swords. In practice, we mostly find
fragments, very few whole swords," Sharvit said. "So far, seven swords
from this period have been found in the country, most of them discovered
in the sea. Swords were not usually discarded, but over the years, once
they were no longer in use, the metal was recycled for other uses."

The iron sword is 35 inches long, with a 1.8-inch-wide blade. The X-rays
also showed that the blade was bent, leading the researchers to think it
had likely been used in battle by a Crusader, as swords in that area of
the world during the Crusades often had curved blades.

"The sword was part of a knight's or warrior's personal equipment. It
was the main weapon in face-to-face combat in those days," Joppe Gosker,
one of the researchers, said in the post. "Swords required a lot of
quality iron and were therefore expensive. In addition, sword fighting
required training and practice, and therefore, only the nobility and
professional soldiers fought with swords."

crusader
Stock image of a soldier from the Crusades. Researchers believe the
sword found in the ocean belonged to a Crusader.
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
The researchers think that the sword possibly fell into the sea during a
naval battle, due to being found without the sword's usual casing of a
scabbard.

"Being expensive, swords are usually found within a scabbard. In this
case, only the sword was found," Gosker said. "From this, we can infer
that it fell into the sea during a battle, possibly with its owner. We
didn't find any additional remains in our scans of the place, but who
knows? The warrior may still lie undiscovered in the depths, to be
revealed one day by the shifting sands."

The region where the sword was found by diver Shlomi Katzin, the Carmel
coast, is also home to numerous other archaeological discoveries from
this era and beyond.

ancient sword
Stock image of an ancient sword. The researchers think the sword found
in the ocean off Israel was used in a naval battle because it didn't
have a scabbard.
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

"Every new find uncovered during archaeological research or by chance,
adds another piece of information to our understanding of a period or a
site," Eli Escusido, Director of the IAA, said in the post.

"Thus, the divers, who reported the find to the Israel Antiquities
Authority, received a certificate of appreciation. All along the coast
of Israel, there are many finds buried beneath the sand and in the sea,
and they are often lost forever, or sometimes discovered by chance.

"It is important that qualified archaeologists record the finds and
their contexts. Over recent years, sea diving has become a popular
sport, and hundreds of pairs of eyes search the seabed. Consequently,
new discoveries are made, and they must be reported to the Israel
Antiquities Authority, and recorded and kept in the State Treasuries,
enriching our archaeological heritage."

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Do you have a question about ancient swords? Let us know via
science@newsweek.com.

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