Four 1,900-year-old swords found in cave in Israel

Photo: CNN.

The arsenal was found in the En Gedi Nature Reserve, according to a press release from the Israel Antiquities Authority on Wednesday. The weapons were kept in scabbards made of wood and leather.

The tip of a pilum (top) and one of four swords (bottom) found. Photo: Dafna Gazit/Israel Antiquities Authority.

“Finding one sword is rare enough. But four? This is truly a dream come true! We kept rubbing our eyes and looking again before we could believe it was true,” said the scientists .

The weapons were likely war booty taken from the Roman army by Judean rebels, according to the authors of a study published Wednesday in “New Research Papers in Judean Desert Archaeology.”

The first evidence was the discovery of a pilum and pieces of wood identified as the scabbard in a secluded and inaccessible cave on a cliff.

The “extremely well-preserved” swords were found alongside pieces of leather, wood and metal. Three of the four swords had iron blades and were stored in wooden scabbards, measuring 60-65cm in length. The remaining sword was 45cm long.

Archaeologists Oriya Amichay (right) and Hagay Hamer (left) with the found sword. Photo: Amir Ganor/Israel Antiquities Authority.

Amir Ganor (left to right), Eitan Klein (second from left), Oriya Amichay (third from left) and Amir Ganor (right to right). Photo: Yoli Schwartz/Israel Antiquities Authority.

“The fact that the swords and pilums were hidden in deep crevices inside a cave isolated from the outside world north of En Gedi suggests that these weapons may have been taken as spoils of war from Roman soldiers or from the battlefield and stored by Judean rebels for later use,” said Eitan Kleim, one of the leaders of the Judean Desert Survey Project.

“It is clear that the rebels did not want to be seen carrying these weapons by the Roman soldiers. We have only just begun to study this cave and the weapons we found in it. We want to find out who owned these swords. Where, when and how they were made.”

Subsequent excavations uncovered a “Bar Kokhba” bronze coin dating from 132 to 135 AD, which may help to date the swords. At that time, the Bar Kokhba Revolt, also known as the Second Jewish Revolt, saw Jewish rebels rise up against the Roman Empire in the area.

“This is a very dramatic and exciting discovery, offering a glimpse into a time in history,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “It is not widely known that the dry climate of the Judean Desert has preserved artifacts in a way that has not been seen anywhere else in the country. This is a unique collection, and among them are fragments of scrolls, coins from the time of the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals and now swords still in their scabbards, as sharp as if they had been hidden today.”

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to CNN)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/bon-thanh-kiem-1900-tuoi-duoc-tim-thay-trong-hang-dong-o-israel-a625257.html