WATCH: Israeli Archaologists Find 1,900-year-Old Roman Swords

Roman sword (Israel Antiquities Authority)
Israel Antiquities Authority
Joel B. Pollak

A team of Israeli archaeologists uncovered a rare cache of intact Roman swords dating back 1,900 years, to the time of the Bar Kochba revolt, when Jewish rebels briefly regained independence from imperial rule.

The find, which was announced on Wednesday, includes four Roman swords, with scabbards, that were found stashed inside a crevice in a cave near the Dead Sea. The swords were likely hidden by rebels 1,900 years ago.

 

The Times of Israel reported:

“We’re talking about an extremely rare find, the likes of which have never been found in Israel,” Dr. Eitan Klein, one of the directors of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Judean Desert Survey, said in a video accompanying the announcement of the discovery. “Four swords amazingly preserved, including the fine condition of the metal, the handles, and the scabbards.”

…

The four swords were discovered shoved into a small fissure in a cave near Ein Gedi National Park, near the Dead Sea. The cave is already well-known to archaeologists, as it contains a stalactite with a fragmentary ink inscription written in ancient Hebrew script characteristic of the First Temple period.

…

Three of the swords are Roman spatha swords, with blades 60 to 65 centimeters (23.5 to 25.5 inches) long. The fourth weapon, a ring-pommel sword, is shorter, with a 45-centimeter (18-inch) blade. The swords likely belonged to Roman soldiers and were stolen by Judean rebels who hid them in a cave either for later use or to avoid being caught with them.

The revolt took place in the years 132-135 AD, and was led by the charismatic Shimon Bar Kochba, whom many Jews at the time believed was the Messiah. Bar Kochba expelled the Romans, who soon returned and crushed the rebellion.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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