After being taken from Roman forces about 1,900 years ago, the weapons stash was probably buried by Jewish insurrectionists.
Four ancient swords found preserved in Israel's Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
Israel's Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, in the Judean desert, is home to an old collection of Roman weapons, including four spatha swords and a javelin head, which were discovered Wednesday in what the Israel Antiquities Authority called a "once in a lifetime" find.
The swords and javelin head were discovered concealed in a tiny chamber and were in "excellent" condition, according to the authority. “To find one sword like this is rare, so four? It's a dream come true," the researchers noted. "We couldn't believe our eyes.”
The authority claimed that after being taken from Roman forces 1,900 years ago, the weapons stash was most likely hidden by Jewish insurrectionists. One of the IAA employees speculated that they might find DNA on the swords that would provide even more amazing facts.
Asaf Gayer of Ariel University and geologist Boaz Langford led an expedition into the cave that was initially intended to capture multispectral images of ink-written Hebrew inscriptions discovered on a stalactite. They also discovered pieces of process wood and leather straps that were later determined to have been used as part of the swords' scabbards.
Dr. Eitan Klein, one of the directors of the Judean Desert Survey Project, mentioned that “obviously, the rebels didn’t want to be caught by the Roman authorities carrying these weapons. We are just beginning the research on the cave and the weapon cache discovered in it, aiming to try to find out who owned the swords and where, when, and by whom they were manufactured. We will try to pinpoint the historical event that led to the caching of these weapons in the cave and determine whether it was at the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt in 132–135 CE.”
The blades were still partially hidden
Three of the swords were discovered with the handles made of handmade iron and wood and the blades still hidden, protecting the steel. Due to the three swords' 60–65 cm-long blades, the experts determined that they were spatha.
Due to its 45 cm. blade, the fourth sword was determined to be a ring pommel sword.
"It is an extraordinary privilege to take part in such a discovery and the excitement is immeasurable," Gayer stated. "The inscription and the weapons teach us a new chapter about the way Jews used the caves of the Judean desert in the different periods."
The historic Roman weaponry were displayed in New Studies in the Archaeology of the Judean Desert: Collected Papers, which was published on Wednesday morning.
In a press briefing with IAA director-general Eli Escuzido and the researchers, the unique weapons were displayed for the first time. The National Parks Authority has control over the caves.
The book presents the results of six years of archaeological surveys and excavations in the caves of the Judean Desert, a significant and pricey national undertaking that the IAA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and the Archaeological Office for the Military Administration of Judea and Samaria, started.
