Four ancient Roman swords discovered in a cave in the Judean Desert (Israel) have been declared the most exciting archaeological find of 2023 by National Geographic.
According to The Times of Israel on December 13, the swords were found inside a crevice in a cave near Ein Gedi National Park by the Dead Sea in June. Estimated to be around 1,900 years old, the swords are believed to have been captured by Judean rebels as spoils during the Bar Kochba revolt and then hidden in the rock fissure.
The weapons are well-preserved and appear undamaged since they were placed in the cave. Three of the four swords have blades ranging from 60 to 65 cm in length. The fourth sword, of a different type, has a blade measuring 45 cm. Archaeologists investigating the swords noted that the blades remain sharp.
Dr. Eitan Klein, one of the archaeologists on the project, stated that these swords are “an extremely rare find as no similar swords have been found in Israel before.” Due to the dry climate, the wooden and leather hilts and scabbards are also intact. National Geographic highlighted that preservation could help pinpoint the exact location and time the swords were made.
In September, Klein told The Times of Israel, “Roman literature doesn’t tell us the whole story” of what happened during the Bar Kochba revolt. “It’s up to archaeology to fill in the missing pieces.”
National Geographic’s list of “Seven of the Most Exciting Archaeological Discoveries of 2023” was announced last week as part of the organization’s annual review. The second discovery on the list is a newly found statue on Easter Island (Chile), and the third is a previously unknown Maya city on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Two more items on National Geographic’s 2023 archaeological list are related to the Middle East. One is the discovery of a submerged Roman-era temple off the coast of Naples, Italy. This site is believed to be connected to the Nabataeans, a merchant tribe who traded spices and other goods from the East to the Romans, built the Petra temple in Jordan, and had a series of caravan towns in the Negev known today as the “Incense Route.”
The remaining Middle Eastern-related item involves the excavation of two mummification workshops in the Saqqara necropolis, just north of Cairo, Egypt. These workshops include one for human mummification and another for animals, complete with tools and chemical remnants used in the mummification process.
