An amateur scuba diver out for a weekend swimming has bump an impressive iron sword dating back to the time of the Crusades .
Worried that shifting sands might re - inhume the sword , Katzin brought the ancient artefact to shore and get through local expert .
The Crusades began in the late eleventh century , as Christians from Europe sought to wrest control of Jerusalem and other portion of the Holy Land from Islamic rule . These spiritual wars , in part a reaction to previous century of Islamic expansion in the Middle East and Europe , last until 1291 CE .
The 3-foot-long sword on display in the Mediterranean seaport of Cesarea, Israel.Image: Ariel Schalit (AP)
“ The archaeological finds at the web site show that it served as a minor , irregular natural anchorage for ships attempt shelter , ” Sharvit explicate in the statement . imposingly , the various particular found at the site “ shows that the anchorage was used as early as the later Bronze Age , 4,000 years ago , ” he tell , adding that the “ late discovery of the steel suggests that the natural cove was also used in the Crusader period , some 900 years ago . ”
As CNNreports , the iron sword weigh somewhere between 2.2 to 4.4 pounds , but the archaeologists wo n’t know for certain until they take out the approximately 10 pound of marine organisms , rock , and shells that have collected onto the artefact .
That said , the sword is quite freehanded . “ That means that the guy that held this sword and [ fought ] with it was very strong . I ’m trying to reckon him on the field with all the armor on him and the brand and crusade with it , ” Sharvittoldthe BBC . “ He should really be in good fitness , peradventure they were bigger than us today but definitely stronger . ”
Jacob Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, holding the sword.Image: Ariel Schalit (AP)
Once cleaned and analyzed , the sword will be put on public display . As for Katzin , he was awarded a credentials of appreciation for his good citizenship .
More : Citizen Scientists Recreate Bronze Age Sword - Fighting Techniques to Uncover Ancient Combat Secrets .
military historysword
Scuba diver Shlomi Katzin brandishing the sword he found.Image: Israel Antiquities Authority
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