The news of an amateur diver who accidentally found an impressive iron sword dating back to the time of the Crusades is making the rounds on the internet.
Israeli diver Shlomi Katzin found the sword near Haifa, Israel, on Saturday, Oct. 16, according to a statement issued by the Israel Antiquities Authority on its Facebook page. As the Associated Press reports, Katzin was about 490 feet (150 meters) offshore and swimming at a depth of 16 feet (5 meters) when he noticed a plethora of artifacts scattered on the ocean floor, including anchors, pottery shards and perhaps best of all, a 3-foot-long sword with a 12-inch (30 cm) hilt.
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Concerned that shifting sand might rebury the sword, Katzin brought the ancient artifact to shore and contacted local experts.
“The iron sword was preserved in excellent condition and is a beautiful and rare find,” said Nir Distelfeld, Inspector of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Robbery Prevention Unit. “It obviously belonged to a Crusader knight. It’s fascinating to come across such a personal item, which takes you back 900 years to another era, with knights, armor and swords.”
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Kobi Sarvit, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority's Marine Archaeology Unit, said the sword was found near the Atlit Castle – a Crusader fortress. Additionally, this area was once a safe haven for ships during stormy weather and is therefore known for producing artifacts of archaeological significance. Most of these artifacts lie buried, but ocean waves and undercurrents occasionally expose objects of interest.
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As CNN reports, the iron sword weighs somewhere between 2.2 and 4.4 kilograms, but archaeologists won't know for sure until they remove the approximately 10 kilograms of marine organisms, rocks and shells that have accumulated on the artifact.
That said, the sword is quite large. "That means the man who was holding that sword and [fighting] with it was very strong. I'm trying to imagine him in the field with all the armor on him and the sword and fighting with it," Sharvit told the BBC. "He would have had to be in really good physical shape, maybe bigger than us today, but definitely stronger.".
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Once cleaned and analyzed, the sword will be put on public display.
Crusadesbegan in the late 11th century, as Christians from Europe sought to wrest control of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land from Islamic rule. These religious wars, partly in reaction to the previous centuries of Muslim expansion into the Middle East and Europe, lasted until 1291 AD.
