According to researchers, Jewish rebels during an insurrection placed the weapons in the desert cave where they had been stored for nearly two millennia.

The weapons were found with part of a javelin Pic: AP

After 1,900 years, four wonderfully preserved Roman swords were discovered in a cave close to the Dead Sea.

Israeli archaeologists discovered the swords, along with their wooden hilts, scabbards, and steel blades, during an excavation two months ago, it was revealed on Wednesday.

The blades, which were discovered with a pilum, the head of a javelin, are thought to have been hidden in the grotto by Jewish insurrectionists during a rebellion against the Romans in the 130s CE.

The artifacts weren't radiocarbon-dated; rather, their typology was used to determine their age.

While returning to a cave close to the oasis of Ein Gedi to record an inscription discovered decades earlier, archaeologists discovered the swords.

Asaf Gayer, an archaeologist at Ariel University, said, “At the back of the cave, in one of the deepest parts of it, inside a niche, I was able to retrieve that artefact - the Roman pilum head, which came out almost in mint condition.”

“Each one of them can tell you an entire story”, according to Guy Stiebel, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University who specializes in Roman military history.

“They also reflect a much grander narrative of the entire Roman Empire and the fact that from a small cave in a very remote place on the edge of the empire, we can actually shed light about those mechanisms is the greatest joy that the scientist can have.”

Experts have dated the swords to the second century Pic: AP

Only a few other examples of the high-quality preservation of Roman weaponry are known to exist, he added.

While the swords were discovered on the fringe of the Roman Empire, Mr. Stiebel continued, it is likely that they were made in a distant European province and transported to Judea by soldiers.

Future research will be done to ascertain the materials utilized and how they were created.

The find was a result of the Judean Desert Survey, a project that aimed to catalog and explore Dead Sea caverns in order to protect priceless artifacts from looters.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient parchment fragments that have been preserved in excellent shape thanks to the cave's cool, dry environment.