Amateur Diver Discovered 900-Year-Old Sword On The Ocean Floor

The ocean is full of mysteries. It’s also full of shipwrecks and sunken treasures just waiting to be discovered. Ever since man took to the seas, they’ve dropped things along the way that the sea has reclaimed until it later releases them thanks to shifts in the tides.

One diver who was enjoying the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea just happened to be in the right place at the right time in order to make a fascinating historical discovery off the coast south of Haifa, Israel.

Shlomi Katzin was swimming along the coast when something caught his eye: an old medieval sword. It turns out that it was one which dated back hundreds of years to the period in history when the Crusades were taking place!

For those who don’t know, the Crusades were a series of military campaigns carried out by the Catholic church and European monarchs in an effort to “take back” the Holy Land – mainly Jerusalem – from those the church deemed to be “heretics.” The period of the Crusades lasted between the 11th to 13th centuries.

Given that it is so far back in the past, it was such a surprise for Katzin to stumble upon the artifacts.

As he recalled, as he was swimming through the waters of a natural cove, he noticed something on the seafloor. Looking closely, he realized it was stone and metal artifacts like anchors, pottery shards, and a shell-encrusted sword.

Not wanting to have these items lost to shifting tides or treasure hunters, Katzin managed to get the items out of the water and then got in contact with the Israel Antiquities Authority’s marine archaeology unit.

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As it turned out, the IAA had been observing the area for a while, since it had been known to be used as a harbor for many years since the Bronze Age. In order to thank Katzin for his return of the sword, he was awarded a citizenship award.

As for the sword that he rescued from the sea, it will be cleaned up and restored in order to be displayed to the public. The sword itself has a 40-inch blade and a 14-inch handle. It is believed to be made of iron as many other medieval weapons of the time were made of iron.

They believe the sword to be 900 years old! It most likely belonged to one of the many knights who came to the Holy Land in order to fight in the Crusades.

Nir Distelfeld, an IAA inspector for the robbery prevention unit, stated, “It is exciting to encounter such a personal object, taking you 900 years back in time to a different era, with knights, armor, and swords.”

Check out the video below:

Have you ever found ancient treasure in the ocean before? Let us know!