'Valuable' 1,000 year old Viking sword found 'perfectly preserved' on Poland river bed
A rare Viking sword which dates back to before 950 AD has been found on a river bed in near perfect condition
Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji Włocławek
A rare Viking sword which dates back to before 950 AD has been found on a river bed in near perfect condition.
Workers in Poland came across the object while dredging in the Wisla River.
They spotted the "oblong, metal object" sticking out of the sediment and on closer inspection realised it was a "perfectly preserved" sword.
The sword has now been given to researchers from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun.
Workers in Poland came across the object while dredging in the Wisla River.
Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji Włocławek
According to archaeologists, an inscription of the word "Ulfberht" also features on the sword.
Only eight such swords are known to exist in Poland and only 170 in the rest of Europe.
Researchers say the Ulfberht sword was a new high-tech blade and is considered to have been one of the greatest swords ever made.
They were said to be highly valued by Viking warriors.
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Sambor Gawiński from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian branch of the conservator's office said: "This is an extremely valuable find.
"We know that these so-called Ulfberht swords were produced somewhere in Central Europe, but it's not known exactly where.
"They were manufactured using very specific methods using carbon steel and a very precise composition.
"The amount of carbon steel that was used was strictly defined, making the sword very strong and flexible – its durability and combat value depended on this."
Only eight such swords are known to exist in Poland and only 170 in the rest of Europe
Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji Włocławek
He added: "More importantly, after lying in silt for over 1,000 years, the sword has been preserved in excellent condition.
"Several theories have been posited and so far all variants are acceptable, but we need to wait for the results of more detailed research."
Wojciech Sosnowski from the archaeology department at Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Toruń told local news website Dzień Dobry Włocławek: "We are dealing with a very delicate object and a very valuable one.
"The sword needs to be urgently conserved. The situation is dynamic, we are only just collecting information about this object."