11th c. sword found in Warta River in Poland

An 11th century sword has been discovered in the Warta River in Wronki, Poland, by fisherman. There is no way to know how the sword ended up in the river — lost by accident during combat, deliberately deposited for ritual purposes — but there was a medieval stronghold less than 2.5 miles from Wronki, which could be connected to the find.

Resident Mirosław Tucholski was setting up his fishing gear at his usual spot over a bend in the river when he spotted a piece of metal on one of the headlands (stone and earth fortifications). It was partially hidden in the sand and stones, exposed only by a drop of the water level.

He retrieved it and took it to the Wroniec Region Museum where archaeologist Ryszard Pietrzak confirmed its antiquity and suggested a preliminary date based on the design style of the 11th century. The museum then reported the find to the regional conservator of monuments and the sword was assigned to the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń for conservation.

A preliminary dating to the 11th century points to the era of the early Piast dynasty. Greater Poland was experiencing significant changes: the coronation of Bolesław the Brave in 1025 was followed by a crisis of the monarchy, the invasion of Bretislaus, and the reconstruction of power structures under Casimir the Restorer. This doesn’t mean that the Wronki sword can be linked to any of these events, but it does indicate that the artifact may date from an era when weapons were not only a weapon of war but also a clear sign of social standing.

As no datable objects or remains were found where the sword was found, archaeologists used comparative dating, comparing the shape of the blade, guard, tang, pommel and fuller to determine the type of sword.

The blade is approximately 76 cm long, the tang approximately 9 cm, the crossguard approximately 12.5 cm wide, and the blade tapers from almost 5.5 cm at the base to about 2.5 cm in the section closest to the point, although corrosion may have affected these values. With a type 3 crossguard and a potential type B pommel according to R. E. Oakeshott, it can tentatively be considered a form close to early one-handed swords bordering on types X-XI, or possibly transitional to type XII . Therefore, the 11th century is a good suggestion, but final clarification of the type and chronology will only occur after conservation and a complete study of the object.

The sword needs careful handling to keep it from rapidly deteriorating now that it has been removed from the safety of the water. It will be X-rayed for cracks or marks hidden by the thick layer of corrosion, and subjected to metallurgical analysis to determine the composition of the blade and other components.

* This article was originally published here