An Amateur Archaeologist Has Found 1800-Year-Old Roman Cavalry Swords

Two rare Roman swords, dating back to 160 AD, were discovered during a "treasure hunters" gathering in March, north of the Cotswolds area, Great Britain.

This was reported by the Independent.

In addition to the cavalry swords, amateur archaeologist Glenn Manning also found remains of their wooden scabbards and a broken cup made of bronze alloy.

According to Professor Simon James of the University of Leicester, who evaluated and researched the swords, these are mid-Imperial Roman swords, better known as "spatha." Such swords were used during the Roman Empire from 160 AD, approximately until the end of the second to the beginning of the third century AD.

"This new discovery shows the incredibly deep history of the Cotswolds... It is truly an outstanding archaeological find, and I can't wait for visitors to see it at the exhibition in the coming years," said Paul Hodgkinson, a member of the Cotswolds District Council.

The length of the artifacts suggests that this weaponry belonged to cavalrymen and was intended for use while riding on horses.

At the same time, experts note that the swords could have also belonged to ordinary civilians because, at that time, the use of such weapons was common among various segments of the population due to rampant banditry that affected Roman provinces.

Roman swords are considered rare among researchers. This year's discovery is only the fourth case of finding similar artifacts in this region.

"As for parallels, I can't recall finding more than one sword discovered under similar circumstances in Roman Britain," Professor James said.

The findings have already been handed over for safekeeping to the Corinium Museum, and experts have agreed to continue studying the swords. Specifically, they will be examined using X-rays.

Researchers also plan to conduct further archaeological analysis at the site where the artifacts were found.

It is worth noting that in July of this year in Britain, a 150-million-year-old stomach stone was found, which formed during the Jurassic period when it was still inside an unknown creature's stomach.

We would also like to remind you that it has recently become known that two iron Scythian akimbo swords from the 6th century BC, three iron axes from the 17th century, three picks from the 17th century, and an iron spearhead dating back to 500-1200 AD will be returned to Ukraine. All these artifacts were stolen by Russians during the illegal invasion of Ukraine and were seized when an attempt was made to smuggle them into the United States.