Posted on 06/22/2017 7:56:12 AM PDT by BenLurkin
ate last month, an excavator operator was working at a peat bog in the Polish municipality of Mircze when he accidentally stumbled upon this glorious specimen of 14th century craftsmanship. The remarkably well-preserved longsword is a unique find for the area, and its discovery has prompted an archaeological expedition.
The discoverer of the long sword, Wojciech Kot, donated the artifact to the Fr. Stanisław Staszic Museum in Hrubieszów, and the museum’s staff is currently analyzing the medieval weapon. The sword is badly corroded, but considering it’s been buried in a peat bog for over 600 years, its condition is rather remarkable. Only the original hilt, which was likely made from bone, wood, or antler, is completely gone.
Originally, this 14th century sword measured 47 inches long (120 cm), and weighed a mere 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg). “The elongated grip was intended for two-handed use which coupled with its long reach and light weight made the sword an agile weapon for armoured knights in battle,” notes The History Blog. “This design is typical of the 14th century.”
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
Oh my!
They where called “Claymores”, they where a brutal weapon, capable of removing arms, heads and any other parts of your opponents anatomy it connected with.
The Claymore Land Mines where named after it.
Hey! That’s no Lake Lady!
Would love to see the swordsmiths on the Forged in Fire TV show attempt to reproduce this sword.
If he self-identifies as a watery tart who are you to say otherwise?
sword ping for you
There's an ahead-of-its-time 1964 documentary CULLODEN wherein a soldier refers to that lethality.
A pretty neat movie in that the director had only about 200 extras to work with, many speaking Gaelic, and used an unusual "You are there" technique as well as "This is a three-pound cannonball, this is what it does." narrative.
Got the usual criticism at the time, too gory, inaccurate, social commentary, etc. but still a good one hour flick. (Private Lang and Stewart's advisor O'Sullivan are pieces of work.)
Did they find the soldier that was holding it?
FTA: In the coming days and weeks, archaeologists will carry out limited excavations at the peat bog where the sword was found; the researchers are hoping to find the missing elements of the knight’s equipment, and other clues that could explain how the weapon ended up where it did.
“how the weapon ended up where it did”
My guess: Somebody chucked it in there to dispose of it.
For one reason or another.
Ach! Harrump...Well...hmmm...to be sure. Yarg.
Looks something like a Zweihänder sword. Though they weren’t in service in the 1300s. But the dating on this one could be faulty.
Whoever pulls this sword from the peat bog is the rightful King of Poland!Would that be considered a blessing or a curse?
I seem to recall there was a Zweihänder sword episode on Forged in Fire.
Yep. And one of them was damned ugly. But...”It will kill.” =;^)
Claidheamh-mór is gaelic for "great sword". This bog find isn't a great sword. But, 3.3 lbs. is probably typical for ones of this type. They are cutting weapons, not bludgeons.
I saw that one in a military history class. Highly recommended. The two actors you mentioned were terrific. The actor playing Bonnie Prince Charlie had to attempt a Scots/Polish accent (historically correct but he got slammed for it. I did not know before that that Charlie was related to Jan Sobieski.) Great stuff.
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