Video: Is a recent archaeological find really the legendary sword of King Arthur
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
People will probably never know if the legendary Excalibur actually existed. Historians still argue: was there really King Arthur, his legendary city of Camelot and the noble knights of the Round Table. But people need legends. Therefore, when archaeologists recently discovered a medieval sword stuck in a stone at the bottom of the Vrbas River, it was instantly dubbed the lost sword of King Arthur.
Near the ruins of a medieval castle in the town of Zvechaj (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the Vrbas river flows. A lot of medieval legends are associated with it. It was there that local divers recently stumbled upon a sword. Despite its venerable age, which is more than 700 years old, it is perfectly preserved.
The age of the sword was confirmed by an analysis of the blade made by the historian of the Museum of the Republika Srpska Janko Vracar. This is a very rare find for this region. Only the second in 100 years! The stone that contained the sword began to crack. Archaeologists removed as much of it as possible around the sword while still underwater. Part of the stone, of course, was taken for analysis.
Here is what the archaeologist Ivan Panjic, who is also the curator of the Museum of the Republika Srpska, said in an interview with BalkanInsight: “This is the first sword that we found during archaeological excavations near the medieval town of Zvechaj, therefore this find is of great importance for science . How the sword hit the stone, and then to the bottom of the river, scientists still cannot figure out.
Many media outlets just clung to this news! The sword is called "Balkan" Excalibur. Journalists put forward bold versions that this is the real sword of King Arthur. But is it? Hard to say, legend says that the wizard Merlin created a sword he called Excalibur and with his magic imprisoned it in a huge stone. On which he inscribed: "Whoever draws this sword from the stone, he is by right of birth the king over all Britain." A fifteen-year-old boy, Prince Arthur, easily drew his sword and was recognized as king.
Even if King Arthur has a real historical prototype, even if this sword existed, then Arthur was still the King of Britain. He died there in the Battle of Camlanne, and, according to legend, Sir Bedivere returned his king's sword to the lake. Some researchers argue that this whole story is just a metaphor, an allegorical story about the nascent Iron Age. In general, the swords found in stones are not such an unheard-of phenomenon. In the Montesiepi Chapel, in Tuscany, archaeologists have unearthed a 12th-century sword. It belonged to a man named San Galgano. According to legend, San Galgano was a cruel, arrogant, worldly knight. Once he had a vision of the Archangel Michael, after which the knight repented and accepted Christ. But when he was told that he must give up all his worldly possessions and desires, to live alone, he was indignant.
According to the "Ancient Sources", San Galgano protested, saying that it was impossible to do it just like splitting a stone with a sword. As proof, he immediately drew his sword and stuck it into the stone. This stone is still kept in the Montesiepi chapel. San Galgano, after his death, was canonized. Some historians believe that it was this story that served as the inspiration for the legend of King Arthur's sword. They are contradicted by others, citing arguments that the first mentions of Arthur's name contained Welsh poems since 600. Whatever the truth or fiction, the famous king and his legendary sword, but the find at the bottom of the Vrbas River pleased both archaeologists and ordinary Bosnians. It may not really be Excalibur. It is impossible to prove or disprove. And the unsolved mysteries of history so excite the imagination! If you are interested in this topic, read another our article about it.
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