Poison Ring, Viking Sword and Other Weaponry Antiquities That Revealed Unexpected Historical Facts

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Ancient weapons may have been made of wood, stone, and low-grade metal, but they were all deadly. Scientists recently discovered rare swords and spearheads that told them unusual facts. From ferocious Vikings who did not use their swords to clumsy oars designed to split skulls, there are often curious and unexpected examples of the use of weapons.

1. Saga Sword

In 2018, an eight-year-old girl went swimming in Lake Vidostern near her family's home in Sweden. At some point, Saga Vanechek stepped on something. The object she pulled out of the water reminded her of a sword. When the girl told her father that she had found something with the handle, he at first thought it was just a strange branch. However, when the man showed the strange thing to his friend, they realized that Saga was right from the start. Researchers from a local museum in Jönköping County confirmed her opinion - it was a sword. Expert analysis revealed that the rare relic was a 1,500-year-old weapon from the pre-Viking era. In addition, the blade is well preserved. Such an unusual find was made thanks to a drought, after which the level of the input in the lake dropped. Scientists now speculate that more ancient artifacts may be hiding in Vidostern, especially since when the museum staff conducted an investigation, they found a brooch from the third century.

2. Buzau's sword

In 2018, a worker at a gravel pit in Buzau, Romania, found a sword in the rubble. The man immediately handed the artifact to law enforcement, and as it turned out, it was no ordinary blade. The sword was over 3,000 years old and was forged around the time of the Late Bronze Age. The blade, 47.5 cm long and 4 cm wide, was in good condition, but the handle, unfortunately, disappeared as it was made of some kind of organic material and collapsed over time. The sword is one of the best finds found in Buzau, but scientists hope it is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a possibility that its owner (most likely a nobleman) could be buried next to the gravel pit or even inside it.

3. Bone Age of Africa

The Stone Age in Africa is notable for one thing. In addition to stone tools, people knew how to make tools from bone. In 2012, archaeologists discovered a knife-shaped artifact off the coast of Morocco. The quality suggested that the craft of bone-making had reached a high level around 90,000 years ago. Prior to this discovery, it was believed that tools carved from bone were used for "simple" mundane tasks. However, in this case it turned out to be a special knife. Analysis showed that it was used to cut something soft, most likely leather. Scientists believe the bone knife was made by members of the Atherian culture, a society that lived 145,000 years ago. An ancient master took a rib of an animal the size of a cow and cut it lengthwise. One half was turned into an artifact 13 centimeters long. This find challenged the idea that the production of improved tools (to support survival) occurred much later.

4. The oldest weapon in North America

The earliest spearheads in North America are those made by the Clovis culture. This long-extinct culture invented its signature stone tools 13,000 to 12,700 years ago. In 2018, the dream of finding a spearhead that was older than Clovisky finally came true. Archaeologists working for 12 years in Texas came across a layer of mud containing traces of the Clovis and Folsom cultures (Folsom is a younger culture). Under this layer were the long-awaited "most ancient spears". The 8–10 centimeter tips made of slate were mixed with other instruments. The age of the surrounding sediments dated the cache to a record 15,500 years. This led to the fact that another society of hunters began to be considered the first to arrive in America (previously, this was considered the Clovis culture). In addition, the weapon has been definitely identified as hunting equipment, and previous finds were usually just stone weapons.

5. Fragile swords of the Vikings

To date, about 2,000 battle-loving Viking swords have been found. However, not all of them were used for military operations. In 2017, three swords were studied, from Denmark in the ninth and tenth centuries, and, for the first time in the world, weapons were analyzed using neutron scanning. This technology can "look" deeper into the metal than X-rays. The images showed that the blades were manufactured using a technique called "pattern welding". Iron and steel strips were welded, twisted together and then forged. This led to the appearance of patterns on the surface of the sword. It also rendered these weapons unusable for combat use. Conventional combat swords had steel edges with impact-absorbing iron cores. Three Danish swords did not have a similar composition. In addition, the metal strips were exposed to high temperatures, which could lead to the appearance of oxidation on their surface. This weakened the weapon and probably caused it to rust faster. The swords were probably symbols of elite membership, not real weapons.

6. Unknown warrior class

In 2018, archaeologists worked on excavations north of New Delhi, India. During a three-month excavation, they discovered several things that indicate the existence of an unknown class of warriors. In the village of Sinauli, the group discovered eight tombs with the remains of a chariot. Three horse-drawn vehicles were found in burial chambers built between 2000 and 1800. BC. At first there was a suspicion that these were royal burials, but the presence of weapons testified that warriors were buried in the graves. Archaeologists have found shields, daggers and swords strong enough to be used in battle.

Chariots from four thousand years ago and the remains of elite warriors, described by the team as "technologically on par with other ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia and Greece", have survived quite well. However, the coffins were also a unique find on the continent. The brass decorations that adorn the boxes have never been seen before. The culture to which the artifacts belonged remains unknown. They were found near graves belonging to the mysterious Indus Valley civilization, but researchers are sure that these were different cultures.

7. Poisonous ring

Archaeological records rarely mention assassin accessories. In 2018, during excavations in Bulgaria, a ring was discovered that probably killed several people. It was found on the medieval ruins of Cape Kaliakra, where the 14th century elite lived in Dobrudja. Other jewelry was also found in Kaliakra, but these were ordinary jewelry made of gold and pearls. The bronze ring was 600 years old, beautifully made and probably brought from Spain or Italy. Inside there was a cavity from which the poison could be discreetly poured into the victim's drink. Since the ring was made for the little finger of a man's right hand, the killer was right-handed (the cavity was also on the right). Archaeologists suspect the ring may have been linked to an old medieval mystery. In the 14th century, a Bulgarian feudal lord named Dobrotitsa ruled the region. The story tells of many unexplained deaths in his entourage, especially among aristocrats and nobles. These deaths were probably political assassinations.

8. Norwegian weapon graves

Recently, scientists have investigated the "weapons graves" in Norway. The tombs contained weapons that the deceased wielded during his lifetime. Researchers have discovered a remarkable story. Although Norway was far from Rome, there was clearly a connection between the countries, especially in terms of weapons. The tombs dating back to the heyday of the Roman Empire contained weapons reminiscent of the weapons of Roman legionaries (swords, darts, shields and spears). However, when the empire collapsed around 500 AD, axes suddenly became the most popular grave weapon. It was weird. The ancient Norwegians fought like the Romans, according to rules in which there was no room for axes. After the collapse of the empire, the consequences hit Norway hard. Major alliances collapsed, and distant enemies were no longer the main target. The country was plunged into chaos, warlords appeared like mushrooms, and everyone fought with each other. The ax was ideal for waging guerrilla warfare in families that lived in conditions of constant raids, violent clashes and attacks from other settlements.

9. Arrows Ötzi

Years after its discovery in the Italian Alps, Ötzi's "ice mummy" is now considered one of the most studied mummies in the world. Everything from his health to his genes has been tested. But for some reason, his toolbox hasn't undergone the same rigorous scrutiny. In 2018, a set of tools and weapons were re-scanned. The 5300-year-old "treasure" has provided interesting clues to the ongoing debate about what happened to this man. He was undoubtedly killed by a skillfully crafted arrow. It remained unclear whether he expected the enemy. The researchers found that a few days before his death, Ötzi sharpened some of his tools, but he did not touch the weapon, apparently believing that he was safe. Who killed this man so far in the Alps remains a mystery.

10. Thames mallet

The Stone Age was brutal. Many of the turtles showed traces of the preferred method of killing at the time - breaking their heads. In 2017, researchers tried to determine with what weapon they did it. The idea was to find something that was only used by humans and could not act as a hunting tool. The so-called Thames Mallet is perfect for these conditions. A 5,500-year-old wooden artifact resembling a cricket bat was pulled from the River Thames.

Researchers made a replica of the weapon and tested it on artificial human turtles, with skin, bone and brain. The results were amazing - the wounds closely matched Neolithic injuries. The clumsy paddle club from the Thames proved to be deadly. Most likely, it was made to serve solely as a killing device.