The bent sword is a clue that the soldier was a 'Romanized Goth or from any other Germanic tribe who served as a mercenary (foederatus) in the imperial Roman forces,' Errikos Maniotis, a co-researcher on the project and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Byzantine Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, told Live Science at the time.

The basilica was discovered in 2010, during excavations ahead of the construction of a subway track, which prompted researchers to call the ancient building the Sintrivani basilica, after the Sintrivani metro station.ĭespite the man being buried in a church, the sword folding was a part of a known pagan ritual, which suggests the soldier may not have originally been Roman, as the Roman empire had embraced Christianity by that time. The sword and its owner were discovered in a paleochristian basilica, dating back to the fifth century, in Thessaloniki in Greece. In May, archaeologists in Greece discovered a 1,600-year-old iron sword that had been folded in a ritual 'killing' before being interred in the grave of a soldier who served in the Roman army. This iron sword was folded in a ritual 'killing' before it was buried with a soldier about 1,600 years ago. Read more: Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old dagger wielded by Roman soldier in battle with Rhaetians Biblical arrowheads

Only four similar daggers - each sharing distinctive features like cross-shaped handles - have ever been found in former Roman territories. The finding led a team of archaeologists to the site, who then uncovered hundreds of artifacts from a 'lost' battlefield where Roman legionaries fought Rhaetian warriors as Rome sought to consolidate power in the area.Īrchaeologists think one of those legionaries may have buried the dagger intentionally after the battle as a token of thanks for victory. In November, an amateur archaeologist with a metal detector in Switzerland discovered an ornate dagger that belonged to a Roman soldier 2,000 years ago. (Image credit: Archaeological Service Graubünden) It belonged to a Roman legionary, and may have been buried intentionally as a token of thanks after a victory in battle. The ancient iron dagger is richly decorated with inlays of silver and brass.

Drawings of medieval swords