Four Roman swords found in Israeli cave: ‘It’s a dream’

Archaeologists: ancient weapon was a trophy of the Jewish rebels

Four ancient Roman swords, estimated to be 1900 years old, were found in a cave in Israel near the shores of the Dead Sea. Scientists are excited: to find so many pieces of ancient weapons at once and in this condition is truly a rarity.

Archaeologists have found four 1,900-year-old Roman swords and a polearm known as a pilum in a cave in Israel, CNN reports.

According to a press statement released by the Israel Antiquities Authority, a rare cache of weapons, preserved in wooden and leather scabbards, has been discovered in the En Gedi Nature Reserve.

“Finding one sword is rare, what does it mean to find four then? It’s a dream! We rubbed our eyes to believe it, ”the researchers do not hide their joy.

The weapons were likely war booty seized from the Roman army by Jewish rebels, according to a research paper published Wednesday in New Research in the Archeology of the Judean Desert: A Collection of Documents.

The first evidence – a pilum and pieces of processed wood that turned out to be a scabbard – were accidentally found in an isolated and inaccessible cave on the rocks by archaeologists studying a fragmentary inscription in ink on a stalactite.

Further investigation revealed four swords “in an almost inaccessible crevice on the upper level of the cave,” the statement said.

“Exceptionally well-preserved” swords were found next to pieces of leather, wood and metal. Three of the swords had iron blades in wooden scabbards and were 60-65 centimeters long. The fourth blade was 45 centimeters long.

“The hiding of swords and a pila in deep crevices in an isolated cave north of Engedi hints that the weapons were taken as trophies from Roman soldiers or from the battlefield and deliberately hidden by Jewish rebels for reuse,” notes Eitan Klein, one of the directors of the Judean Desert Project.

“Obviously, the rebels did not want to be caught by the Roman authorities with these weapons. We are just beginning to explore the cave and the cache of weapons found in it, trying to find out who the swords belonged to, as well as where, when and by whom they were made,” he added.

According to the press release, further excavations unearthed a bronze coin “Bar Kokhba” dated to 132-135 AD, possibly coinciding with the swords. During this time, the Bar Kokhba Rebellion, also known as the Second Jewish Revolt, led many Jews to oppose Roman rule in the area.

“This is a dramatic and exciting discovery regarding a specific moment in time. Not everyone knows that the dry climate conditions found in the Judean Desert make it possible to preserve artifacts that have not been preserved in other parts of the country, Eli Escucido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a statement. “This is a unique time capsule that contains fragments of scrolls, coins from the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals, and now even sheathed swords, sharp as if they were hidden just today.”