THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

By Rossella Tercatin

800-year-old, meter-long artifact discovered off Dor Beach, undergoes a CT scan at the Medica Elisha Hospital

A meter-long sword, roughly dating back to the 12th century CE, has been found by chance off the Carmel Coast, in the area of Dor Beach, the University of Haifa announced on Sunday.

The artifact was spotted by Shlomi Katzin, a student at the university’s Department of Maritime Civilizations, who had already found a similar sword in the area in 2021.

The sword was brought ashore with the authorization of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and underwent in-depth testing, including a CT scan at Medica Elisha Hospital, to examine the object’s characteristics and preservation beneath the shell and mineral crust that accumulated on its surface over the centuries.

A meter-long sword, roughly dating back to the 12th century CE, has been found by chance off the Carmel Coast, in the area of Dor Beach, the University of Haifa announced on Sunday.

The artifact was spotted by Shlomi Katzin, a student at the university’s Department of Maritime Civilizations, who had already found a similar sword in the area in 2021.

The sword was brought ashore with the authorization of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and underwent in-depth testing, including a CT scan at Medica Elisha Hospital, to examine the object’s characteristics and preservation beneath the shell and mineral crust that accumulated on its surface over the centuries.

“This is an extremely rare find that sheds light on the Crusader presence along the country’s coast,” Prof. Deborah Cvikel of the University of Haifa said in the statement. “In Israel, only a handful of similar swords from the Crusader period are known to date, and this discovery greatly contributes to our understanding of the use of maritime anchorages and the lives of warriors during this era.”

Katzin found the sword as he was swimming in the area and noticed a group of divers using a metal detector. Concerned that they might be seeking to loot antiquities, he managed to chase them away, and later he identified the sword in the sand, alerting Cvikel, who then contacted the IAA. The statement did not specify when exactly the artifact was found.

After the sword was removed from the sea, it was sent for a scan at Elisha, a private hospital in Haifa.

“The technology allowed us to peek through the layers of time and stone,” Dr. Eyal Berkowitz, medical director of Medica Diagnostics, and a lecturer at the Medicine Faculty of the University of Haifa, said in the statement. “Using CT, we were able to see what the human eye cannot, the internal structure of the sword and its precise physical condition, all through a non-invasive examination that preserved the integrity of this rare artifact for future generations.”

The researchers said the sword was not manufactured in the Land of Israel, but that it was brought to the region from Europe, and that very little of the original iron remains.

The Crusader period in Israel began in 1099, with the conquest of Jerusalem from the Fatimid Caliphate, and lasted around 200 years.

“Since their invention, swords have been among the most important tools in human history,” said Sara Lantos of the University of Haifa, who recently authored a study on three swords previously found in Israel. “In the Middle Ages, the sword became the symbol of knights and chivalry, as well as a symbol of the Christian faith. It was also one of the most common weapons used by Crusader knights, whose lives depended on them.”

“Swords were valuable objects and were therefore carefully maintained and preserved,” she added. “The discovery and study of such a symbolic and personal object are rare, and enrich our knowledge of the material culture of the Crusader period. In addition, they offer us a unique opportunity to learn about the lives of Frankish knights in the Holy Land.”