A completely preserved sword dating back to the 14th century was found in a peatbog near Hrubieszów, South-eastern Poland. It is considered a unique find for the whole region.

The sword was found accidentally during construction works. The artefact is corroded but preserved at nearly whole length. Only the hilt did not survive. The weapon was held in both hands and is typical for 14th century. It is very light and possibly originally weighted around 1.5 kilogrammes. Today it measures 120 centimetres. According to the experts it’s crafted in a professional way making it very balanced and suitable for fencing. A mark in form of a cross with even arms within a heraldic shield was found on the pivot. It was normally not visible, covered by the hilt, so it is possible it was made by the blacksmith. Closer analysis will possibly allow to determine the origin of the weapon.

The area where the sword was found is a wet bog. The experts suppose that a knight might have been sucked within it or the weapon might have been lost while crossing the area. In the upcoming days archaeologist plan to conduct excavations at the discovery site, hoping to reveal the circumstances in which the weapon has found itself in the bog and possibly uncover more parts of a knight’s armament.

(after Nauka w Polsce & Wojciech Pacewicz)