1,000-year-old Sword Decorated with Spiritual Symbols Found in Dutch River Goes on Display

1,000-year-old Sword Decorated with Spiritual Symbols Found in Dutch River Goes on Display

1,000-year-old Sword Decorated with Spiritual Symbols Found in Dutch River Goes on Display – credit, Ruben de Heer / Rijksmuseum van Oudheden Looking as intact as the day it was forged, a 1,000-year-old sword has gone on display in the Netherlands. Capturing a transition in medieval military technology with its expert degree of preservation as well as a dramatic culture of weapon embellishment with its series of religious symbols inlaid in copper, the sword is no doubt a national treasure. It was found in a river on the grounds of the Linschoten Estate in the central region of the country during a routine dredging. Dating to between 1050 and 1150 CE, the sword has been donated to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) in Leiden. The weapon remains remarkably well-preserved after a thousand years. Only the organic components—such as the wooden grip and any leather wrappings—have succumbed to time. It measures just over 3 feet in length and sports a cross guard and semi…