Four 1,900-year-old Roman swords found in cave in Israel | Dead Sea reveals four 1,900-year-old Roman swords in cave
While on the upper tier of the cave, Dr. Gayer chanced upon a remarkably preserved Roman pilum, or javelin, tucked away in a narrow fissure. Nearby, he also uncovered worked wood that would eventually be identified as components of the swords' scabbards. The three swords still enclosed in their wooden sheaths were identified as Roman spatha, or long swords, while the fourth, of shorter stature, was classified as a ring-pommel sword. These swords featured meticulously crafted handles made from either wood or metal, and fragments of leather, wood, and metal that likely belonged to them were also discovered.
Archaeologist Oriya Amichay exclaimed, "It looked a bit like a pile of books. But - swords!" The find offered a tangible connection to history, bringing to life the stories recounted in ancient texts. Archaeologists posit that the deliberate concealment of these swords and the pilum within the cave signifies that they were seized by Judean rebels either as trophies from Roman soldiers or from battlefields. These weapons were stashed away, possibly with the intent of future use, during the tumultuous era of the Bar Kochba Revolt (132AD-135AD), the second major Jewish uprising against the Roman Empire in Judea.
As the research into the cave and the discovered weapon cache begins in earnest, Dr. Eitan Klein, a director of the Judean Desert Survey Project, hopes to unravel the enigma surrounding the swords, seeking answers about their ownership, origins, and the individuals involved in their production and concealment.
