A Finnish man found a 1,000-year-old sword from the Swedish Crusades in his garden. This was reported by Live Science.
A man in Southern Finland was doing renovation work on his property when he discovered a piece of iron sticking out of the ground. Realizing that there was a sword in front of him, he contacted local archaeologists. They determined that the sword with a flat cross and a triangular oval handle may have belonged to a Swedish crusader. Additionally, using the radiocarbon dating method, it was determined that the work was made between 1050 and 1150 AD.
The Swedish Crusades took place between the 12th and 13th centuries. The aim of the raids, launched by the Roman Catholic Church and the Swedish Crown, was to gain control of what is now Finland. X-rays of the sword showed that it had a Latin inscription on it, possibly “In the name of Jesus Christ.”
In the nearby area, scientists also found a medieval stone church; This may indicate that Christianity arrived here several centuries earlier than thought. Other artifacts were also discovered: fragments of a second sword, pendants in the shape of a cross, and a leather belt decorated with bronze ornaments in the shape of animal heads, and the remains of clothing.
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