#Rare 1000-Year-Old ‘Viking Sword’ Found in Poland

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Rare 1,000-Year-Old ‘Viking Sword’ Found in Poland

Thought to be older than Poland itself, archaeologists have hailed the discovery of an ancient sword at the bottom of the Wisła as being “a national sensation”.

The discovery was made last week during dredging works conducted on the river running through the central city of Włocławek where, during routine silt removal, workers noticed an oblong, metal object amid the extracted sediment.

Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji Włocławek were the first to break the news, writing on their social media: “During works on the marina an item was excavated that has a great chance of gaining unique status.

“After quickly consulting with Mr Olaf Popkiewicz from the History Seekers society, it was tentatively dated to around the 9th century.”

Soon after, the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments took the weapon to Toruń, handing it over to researchers from the Nicolaus Copernicus University.

Inscribed with the words Ulfberht, just eight other such swords are known to exist in Poland, and only 170 in the rest of Europe.

Sambor Gawiński of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian branch of the conservator’s office underlined the importance of the discovery, saying: “This is an extremely valuable find. We know that these so-called Ulfberht swords were produced somewhere in Central Europe, but it’s not known exactly where.

Continuing, he added: “They were manufactured using very specific methods using carbon steel and a very precise composition.

“The amount of carbon steel that was used was strictly defined, making the sword very strong and flexible – its durability and combat value depended on this.”

The inscription was found following an X-ray of the object, with Gawiński saying that this dates the sword to before 950 AD.

“More importantly, after lying in silt for over 1,000 years, the sword has been preserved in excellent condition,” he said.

Valued at over PLN 100,000, the sword's fine condition is likely to aid historians looking to find out more.

As it stands, much mystery surrounds the sword, in particular how it ended up in Włocławek.

With other 40 such implements found in Norway, some have speculated that it belonged to a Viking.

Others, meanwhile, have suggested that it may simply have been acquired by a local as part of a merchant transaction.

Experts, though, have warned against jumping to conclusions. “Several theories have been posted and so far all variants are acceptable, but we need to wait for the results of more detailed research,” says Gawiński.

By Alex Webber.