WorldWide Drilling Resource

! " # ! A Knight’s Tale: Medieval Sword Unearthed Compiled by Caleb Whitaker, Associate Editor, WorldWide Drilling Resource ® An intact medieval sword from the 14th century was discovered in a peat bog in the Commune of Mircze, Poland. The sword was found by an excavator operator during drainage operations at the bog. While the weapon is extensively corroded, it is preserved almost entirely with the only piece not surviving to the present day being the hilt originally made of wood, bone, or antler. The sword’s original weight is estimated to have been around three pounds, which is light for a weapon measuring four feet long. The elongated grip of the sword was intended for two-handed use, which when combined with its long reach and light weight, made the sword an agile weapon for armored knights in battle. This was a typical design of the 14th century. The area of the discovery first appears on the historical record in the 13th century when it’s mentioned as the site of a few hunting lodges surrounded by forest. The Polish governor built a castle in nearby Hrubieszów in the late 14th century, meaning the second half of the century would have offered good employment opportunities for knights, or perhaps the sword’s owner had just been riding through the area and made a wrong turn into the bog. The sword’s finder donated the artifact to the local Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum. "This is a unique find in the region,” said Bartłomiej Bartecki, director of the museum. “It is possible that an unlucky knight was pulled into the marsh, or simply lost his sword.” On the rear bar of the weapon there is an isosceles cross inscribed in the shape of a heraldic shield, which was probably made by the blacksmith as a kind of maker's brand. This symbol would normally not be visible since it would be on the portion of the bar covered by a hilt. Archeologists plan to perform limited excavations at the site of the discovery, which could reveal some of the missing elements of the knight’s equipment, while shedding fur- ther light on the circumstances which placed the weapon in the bog. The sword will undergo conservation in Warsaw, which will help determine its owner and possibly the origin of the weapon. After the conservation and analyses, the sword will become part of the main exhibition at the Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum. The director of the museum believes reporting accidental archeological discoveries to competent, relevant sources is becoming the norm, and these discoveries are of exceptional scientific and artistic value. Photos courtesy of Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum. C&G 7 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JANUARY 2019