Archaeology & History

1,000-year-old 'Viking' sword discovered on river bed in Poland

By T.K. Randall
January 18, 2024

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) According to reports, the sword was found quite by accident by a team of workers who had been dredging the bottom of the Wisla River in the city of Wroclawek, Poland.

The Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments (WUOZ) was quickly notified about the discovery and the sword was taken to researchers at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun for study.

An initial analysis later determined that it is approximately 1,000 years old.

"We are dealing with a very delicate object and a very valuable one," said WUOZ archaeologist Wojciech Sosnowski. "The sword needs to be urgently conserved.""The situation is dynamic, we are only just collecting information about this object."

While the sword has been typically referred to as Viking in origin, experts remain unconvinced.

"I don't know where the idea that the sword belonged to a Viking comes from," archaeologist Robert Grochowski told Gazeta Wyborcza Daily. "Without detailed research, this is completely unjustified."

"It is difficult to say anything more than the fact that it is an early medieval sword."

No doubt further study over the coming weeks will help to unravel the mysteries of the sword's origins.

Source: Notes From Poland

Tags: Viking, Sword