Medieval Sword Discovered in Polish Peat Bog

Sometime in the 14th century, a medieval knight traversing the marshes of southeast Poland either dropped his sword or sank into the muck, losing his life—and weapon—in the process. Archaeologists haven't found his remains, but they did discover his intact blade earlier this month in a peat bog near the Polish town of Hrubieszów, according to Archaeology.

The two-handed, 4-foot-long sword is corroded and missing its padded hilt, but it still bears its maker's brand: an isosceles cross, etched in the shape of a heraldic shield. Originally, it weighed just over 3 pounds, making it a good, lightweight weapon for fencing.

The sword has been donated to the Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum in Hrubieszów, where experts hope to find out how, exactly, it ended up in a marsh. "This is a unique find in the region," noted Bartłomiej Bartecki, the museum's director, according to Science & Scholarship in Poland. Too often for similar artifacts, "their places of discovery is often unknown, and that is very important information for historians and archaeologists," he added.

Archaeologists plan to return to the site of the find and conduct minor excavations for other pieces of fighting equipment. As for the sword itself, conservationists will examine it to see if any engraved signs on the blade exist to identify its owner and origin.

"The place where the discovery was made is a wetland and a peat bog," Bartecki said. "It is possible that an unlucky knight was pulled into the marsh, or simply lost his sword."