A man fishing in the Vistula River pulled out a nearly 700-year-old sword that was almost completely preserved, Fox News reports.
The fisherman immediately handed the find over to local authorities, after which the sword was given to cultural heritage conservationists. The artifact is currently undergoing conservation and research to prepare it for further study and possible exhibition.
According to preliminary estimates, the sword dates back to the 13th or 14th century, the time when Warsaw was just emerging as a settlement. Anna Magdalena Lan, chief specialist in the protection of monuments in Warsaw, said that the find is unique for the territory of the modern capital of Poland.
The sword is 79 cm long, and its handle has preserved characteristic elements – a spherical pommel and a cross, which, according to the expert, may contain the so-called “blacksmith’s mark” – a kind of signature of the master who made the weapon.
It is important that the sword was found in the river – without accompanying artifacts and archaeological context. This makes it difficult to determine its origin and history. According to Lan, deliberately throwing swords into water was not a typical practice in 13th-century Christian Poland, unlike earlier pagan traditions.
