Roman swords ‘in almost mint condition’ discovered after 1,900 years in Dead Sea caveBy Snejana Farberov
Published Sep. 6, 2023
Four remarkably preserved Roman swords “in almost mint condition” — with their wooden and leather hilts and steel blades still intact after 1,900 years — have been discovered inside a remote cave near the Dead Sea.
The trove of ancient artifacts – four swords and the head of a javelin known as a “pilum” — was found by Israeli archaeologists during an excavation in an area known as a hideout for Jewish rebels against the Romans in the 130s, leading researchers to believe that the weapons were booty captured by the insurgents.
The shape of three of the blades recalls Roman “spatha” swords, and the fourth has a ring-and-pommel design consistent with the period, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
A bronze coin from the time of the Bar Kokhba rebellion of 132-135 AD, which challenged the Roman Empire’s rule of Judea, was found at the entrance to the cave concealing the weapons for nearly two millennia.
“The hiding of the swords and the pilum in deep cracks in the isolated cave … hints that the weapons were taken as booty from Roman soldiers or from the battlefield,” archaeologist Eitan Klein said in a statement. “Obviously, the rebels did not want to be caught by the Roman authorities carrying these weapons.”
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/09/06/roman-swords-discovered-after-1900-years-in-dead-sea-cave/
