There are people who have a phobia of swimming because they don’t know what’s under their feet. Perhaps here in the Mediterranean it could be a venomous greater weever, or it might be a jellyfish popping up to say hello. But what about in slightly deeper waters? All kinds of marine animals. And also some unusual objects.
A scuba diver has discovered a 900-year-old sword in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Israel, and all the evidence suggests that it belonged to a knight of the Crusades era. The find was made this weekend of the coast of the northern Israeli city of Carmel, where Shlomi Katzin, was diving.
The sword, which was immediately handed over to the authorities, is one metre long and completely covered by marine organisms, according to the EFE agency. "The weapon, which has been preserved in a perfect state, is a precious and strange find and appears to have belonged to a knight of the crusades," said Nir Distelfeld, an inspector for Israel Antiquities Authority, which has announced that they believe the weapon is made of iron.
An historic location
The place where the weapon was found was used in ancient times by ships as a shelter from storms because there are many natural coves, according to Kobi Sharvit, director of Marine Archeology at the same institution. "These conditions have attracted merchant ships over the centuries, leaving behind archaeological discoveries of this kind," he added.
In addition to the sword, which will be cleaned and examined by a specialized laboratory before being exhibited, the diver found other objects such as ceramic fragments and metal anchors, which have now become visible.
What were the Crusades?
Broadly speaking, the Crusades were different wars with religious motivations, initiated by the Catholic Church itself during the Middle Ages. The goal was essentially to regain control over the Holy Land, which was under Islamic rule.
Between 1096 and 1272, as many as nine different crusades to the Holy Land were carried out, with different results and durations. Some of them are not even fully recognized by some historians. In fact, there were also numerous other crusades that did not even take place in the Middle East. Some, like those in the Baltic region, aimed to convert pagan lands to Christianity.
Main image: Part of the sword found underwater after 900 years off the coast of Israel. It is believed that it may have belonged to a knight who took part in the Crusades / Efe