A man in southern Finland was doing maintenance work on his land when he discovered a piece of iron sticking out of a mound of earth. However, what he took out was not scrap metal, but a centuries-old sword.
The anonymous landowner immediately contacted local archaeologists about the partially bent weapon with a straight cross with a three-sided oval handle, similar to one worn by a Swedish crusader in battle. According to the statement, researchers determined by radiocarbon that the artifact was dated between 1050 and 1150 AD.
The Swedish Crusades were a series of religiously motivated raids between the 12th and 13th centuries. According to an article published in Finnish radio broadcasting company Yleisradio Oy, the aim of the raids launched by the Roman Catholic Church and the Swedish Crown was to gain control of the area that is now Finland. Until the 19th century, these wars were called “Crusades”. According to All Things Nordic, the first of the three crusades was legendary and never actually happened.
Juha Ruohonen, an archaeologist and lecturer at the Finnish Department of Archeology and History at the University of Turku, said an X-ray of the sword showed that it had an inscription on it that archaeologists believe read “in the name of Jesus Christ.” Finland. The person overseeing the excavation told LiveScience via email.
Continuing to investigate the area, researchers made a second discovery: an “unknown” cemetery located in the same area as the medieval stone church, according to the statement. This is the first case where a burial site has been discovered in the Salo region of Finland.
“The location of this site close to a medieval stone church can be seen as evidence of a much older religious organization in the area than previously thought,” Ruohonen said in a statement. said. “It was believed that the Pertteli neighborhood was founded together with the Uskel chapel in the 15th century.”
During the excavation, archaeologists discovered numerous artifacts that probably belonged to the same grave: fragments of another sword, wooden fragments of a coffin, cross-shaped pendants and a leather belt decorated with 30 bronze ornaments with rosettes.
“The entire belt also featured a buckle, various handles, animal head ornaments and belt dividers,” Ruohonen said in a statement. said. “The leather parts of the belt are partially preserved. In addition, many attached pieces of fabric, which are the remains of the deceased’s clothing, are still preserved in bronze decorations.”
“Radiocarbon dating for the bones of the deceased is on the way,” Ruohonen told LiveScience. “But the outcome won’t be known until January.”
The statement stated that archaeologists have discovered eight graves in the area so far, but they believe there may be from a dozen to 200 graves.
Source: Port Altele
