The approximately 900-year-old artifact is in good condition and was located by a diver
A diver got a big surprise when exploring the waters off the coast of Mount Carmel in Israel. Shlomi Katzin came across a series of archaeological artifacts from the Crusades at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Among them was an impressive one meter long sword approximately 900 years old.
cross knight sword
Fearing that he might not find the sword again, Katzin brought the artifact to the surface and contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Despite being covered in shells, the weapon is in good condition. In addition to the blade, the diver also located metal anchors and ceramic fragments.
Nir Distelfeld presents the sword of the Crusades
“The sword, which is preserved in mint condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a crusader knight,” said Nir Distelfeld of the IAA. “It was found encrusted with marine organisms, but apparently it’s made of iron. It’s exciting to find an object so personal, that transports you 900 years back in time to a different era, with knights, armor and swords”, he added.
The water off the Carmel coast remains the same temperature year-round, which helped preserve the iron in the sword. Because the iron was oxidized, shells and other marine organisms stuck onto it like glue, Mr. Sharvit said. The discovery of ancient artifacts has increased as diving has grown in popularity in Israel, he said.
In the Second Crusade, the Muslim commanders defeated Western crusaders at Damascus, said Jonathan Phillips, a professor of the history of the Crusades at Royal Holloway, University of London.
During the Third Crusade, King Philip Augustus of France, King Richard I (also known as Richard the Lionheart of England), and the holy Roman emperor, Frederick I (also known as Frederick Barbarossa), set out to retake Jerusalem. Saladin, the ruler of an area covering modern Egypt, Syria and Iraq, had conquered it in 1187, said Dr. John Cotts, a professor of medieval history at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.
At the time, Pope Gregory VIII tried to inspire Western Christians through “great emotional language” to retake Jerusalem from Muslims, but ultimately the Muslim army maintained control of the city, Dr. Cotts said.
The sword would have been expensive to make at the time and viewed as a status symbol, Dr. Phillips said. It makes sense that it was found in the sea, he said, because many battles were waged near beaches, where Christian soldiers landed and were sometimes attacked by Muslim forces.
“It could have been from a knight who fell in the sea or lost it in a fight at sea,” he said.
When Mr. Katzin found it, he said he was afraid it would be stolen or buried beneath shifting sand, according to a statement from the authority.
The general director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Eli Escosido, praised Mr. Katzin because “every ancient artifact that is found helps us piece together the historical puzzle of the Land of Israel.” Mr. Katzin was given a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.
The Crusades were military expeditions that took place in the Middle Ages, when Christian knights left Europe for the Middle East. Their aim was to take the Holy Land out of Muslim control. The region where the sword was found witnessed important moments of battles that took place on the coast of the Holy Land.