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Siri, play the Zelda sword discovery music!

In a monumental archaeological discovery, a cache of four remarkably well-preserved Roman swords has been unearthed in a cave overlooking the Dead Sea in Israel.

These ancient weapons, believed to be approximately 1900 years old, were found in an almost inaccessible crevice and have shed light on a specific historical moment.

Three of the swords, boasting iron blades measuring a whopping 60-65cm in length, were still encased in wooden scabbards, which contributed to the protection of these ancient artefacts.

The pristine weapons were stumbled upon by a team of researchers while they were photographing an ancient inscription on a stalactite.

Expecting your run-of-the-mill geological features but instead making a huge archeological discovery is a real hum-dinger, no wonder the crew can be heard exclaiming with delight in the footage captured of the discovery.

After examining the mighty blades, archaeologists have suggested that these swords were hidden by Judean rebels after being seized from the Roman army as spoils of war. Finders keepers!

These weapons were intentionally concealed, likely for future use, potentially during the second major Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire in Judea, known as the Bar Kochba Revolt (132 AD – 135 AD).

Eli Escusido, the director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), expressed great excitement at the potential for what the cache of booty could tell us about the political climate of the area 1900 years ago.

“This is a dramatic and exciting discovery, touching on a specific moment in time.”

The unique preservation of these swords can be attributed to the dry desert climate around the Dead Sea, which has created a kind of Air-Fryer-style time capsule for ancient artefacts. This environment has allowed for the conservation of items like fragments of scrolls, coins from the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals, and now, this bundle of Roman swords.

The story of this historical discovery traces way back to 50 years ago, when an incomplete ink inscription in ancient Hebrew was found on a stalactite in a small cave high above the Dead Sea, north of the En Gedi oasis in eastern Israel.

Flash forward to 2023: a team comprising archaeologist Dr. Asaf Gayer of Ariel University, geologist Boaz Langford of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and photographer Shai Halevi of the IAA revisited the cave.

The team’s mission was to employ multispectral photography to decipher parts of the inscription that were not visible to the naked eye, and they got a whole lot more than they bargained for. Once the trio saw the valuable objects, they called in for reinforcements so that the special blades could be rescued from their nook as carefully as possible.

The three swords that were found still encased in wooden scabbards were identified as a Roman spatha, or long swords, while the fourth, shorter weapon was identified as a ring-pommel sword. They feature well-crafted handles made from wood or metal, and accompanying leather strips, pieces of wood, and metal fragments.

Archaeologist Oriya Amichay expressed the awe that the team felt when they stumbled upon the ancient spoils of war.

“It looked a bit like a pile of books. But – swords! Sure, we know the story from history. But to see such a find is to look history in the face.”

Now the real archeological detective work begins. The aim is to use the artefacts to uncover who owned these swords, when and where they were manufactured, and the identities of those who wielded them, providing invaluable insights into a significant period in history.

So, next time you’re hiking past a Silvermine cave, don’t forget to check crevices for stashed booty. Although, don’t be disappointed if you just find moss and ciggie butts.

[source:bbc]