Diver finds 900-year-old sword

Found off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, it dates back to Crusades

An Israeli scuba diver has salvaged an ancient sword off the country’s Mediterranean coast that experts say dates back to the Crusaders.

Israel’s Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Monday that Shlomi Katzin was on a weekend dive in northern Israel when he spotted a trove of ancient artifacts that included anchors, pottery and a metre-long sword. “The sword, which has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a crusader knight,” Nir Distelfeld of the IAA said.

Fearing his discovery might be buried, the diver took the sword ashore and delivered it to government experts, the authority said. The weapon is estimated to be 900 years old.

“It was found encrusted with marine organisms, but is apparently made of iron,” said Distelfeld. The diver was about 150 metres off the coast in fivemetre-deep water when he made the discovery. The IAA said the Carmel coast area where the sword was found was used through the centuries by ships seeking shelter from storms due to its many coves.It is home to many archaeological treasures, some dating back 4,000 years. Kobi Sharvit of the IAA’s marine archaeology unit said the trend of divers finding precious artefacts was growing. Even though professionals are constantly surveying underwater areas, divers are often the first to spot a treasure just unearthed by recent sand shifts, he said.

The sword is to be cleaned and analysed before it is put on public display.