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A 12th-century Crusader sword discovered in Finland (photo)

Anastasia Kryshchuk

A 12th-century Crusader sword discovered in Finland (photo)
A 12th-century Crusader sword discovered in Finland

In the southwestern city of Salo in Finland, a landowner stumbled upon an ancient cemetery. He also discovered an iron sword and a collection of graves that date back to the Crusader era in 12th-century Finland.

This is the first verified find of a burial site dating from the late Iron Age in the Salonjoki River Valley. The sword has a straight rod-shaped hilt and a triangular oval tip, Ancient Origins reports.

The scabbard of the Crusader sword was also found, along with fragments of the blade of another sword. The most notable find in the collection is a leather belt decorated with bronze beads.

Read also: In Norway, a family accidentally found a 1200-year-old Viking grave with jewelry in their yard (photo)

A 12th-century Crusader sword discovered in Finland (photo)
Landowner finds 12th century Crusader sword in Finland. Source: Riikka Saarinen / Turun museokeskus

The leather belt itself is a treasure trove: thirty square bronze beads intricately decorated with rosette patterns. It also included several cross-shaped pendants, a buckle, numerous animal heads, and belt dividers.

While the leather components of the belt are partially preserved, there are also numerous remnants of fabric associated with the deceased's clothing that have survived alongside the bronze jewelry.

A 12th-century Crusader sword discovered in Finland (photo)
Landowner finds 12th century Crusader sword in Finland. Source: Juha Ruohonen / Turun yliopisto, arkeologia

The graves were excavated near a medieval stone church. The dead were buried according to the Christian customs, and, as Ruohonen notes, the site's proximity to this church suggests a much earlier church presence in the area,  which is challenging previous assumptions. The foundation of the Pertteli parish church was previously dated to the 15th century.

As a reminder, archaeologists have found the remains of the woman from whom Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in Italy.

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