Israeli Researchers Find Four 1,900-Year-Old Swords Hidden Inside Cave

Scientists initially made the new discovery two months back while exploring the same location in which researchers previously uncovered a stalactite with an inscription.

Four ancient swords of the Roman Empire were found miraculously preserved in a "small hidden cave" near the shoreline of the Dead Sea by Israeli researchers, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday.

The swords and a javelin head were discovered by accident when archaeologists of the Judean Desert Cave Survey team were investigating a cave near Ein Gedi National Park. Researchers estimate the items were preserved inside the structure for about 1,900 years.

"The Judean Desert Cave Survey team ... were astonished to find the four Roman swords in an almost inaccessible crevice on the upper level of the cave. The swords were exceptionally well preserved, and three were found with the iron blade inside the wooden scabbards," the authorities stated.

Based on the whereabouts of the finding, the blades were likely looted from Roman soldiers, or a battlefield and deliberately hidden by Judean rebels to use later, director with the Judean Desert Survey Project Eitan Klein explained.

"Obviously, the rebels did not want to be caught by the Roman authorities carrying these weapons. We are just beginning the research on the cave and the weapon cache discovered in it, aiming to try to find out who owned the swords, and where, when, and by whom they were manufactured," he added. "We will try to pinpoint the historical event that led to the caching of these weapons in the cave and determine whether it was at the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 132-135 CE."

The weapons were accompanied by leather strips and wooden and metal parts, according to the scientists. The swords had well-made wood or metal handles, the archaeologists described, adding that length of the blades was 24–26 inches (61-66 cm). In line with the measurements, officials with the Israeli Antiquities Authority identified the weaponry as Roman Sparta swords, along with an 18-inch-long ring-pommel sword (45.7 cm).

"The swords were carefully removed from the crevice in the rock and transferred to the Israel Antiquities Authority climate-controlled laboratories for preservation and conservation," the officials said. "The initial examination of the assemblage confirmed that these were standard swords employed by the Roman soldiers stationed in Judea in the Roman period."

Officials have indicated that they intend to continue their examinations of the swords to better pinpoint their origins.