Metal detectorists searching for WWII artifacts uncover much older and rarer weapon
A pair of metal detectorists bundled up and headed into a snowy forest in Poland. They hoped to find some artifacts from World War II — yet stumbled upon a much older and rarer weapon.
Undeterred by the January cold, Rafał Proszowski and Mariusz Lampa decided to visit a forest near Krakow, but not for a typical hike. They knew the Polish army had retreated through the area when Nazi German troops invaded in 1939, so they took metal detectors to search for related items, Science in Poland said in a Feb. 19 news release.
While scanning the ground near a small tree, the metal detector emitted a distinctive sound. Proszowski and Lampa began digging and soon unearthed a rusty ancient Roman sword, officials said.
Photos shared by the Inventum Association in a Feb. 6 Facebook post show the ancient weapon. It’s broken in two but looks relatively complete, with a thinner handle and a blunt rectangular point.
Proszowski and Lampa reported the find to archaeological officials, who tentatively identified it as a Roman spatha, a characteristic long sword used by horsemen, officials said. The weapon probably dates back over 1,700 years, but its exact age remains unknown.
Mariusz Włudarz, a colleague of the finders and spokesperson for the Inventum Association, told Science in Poland that this is the first time a spatha sword has been found in the area.
But how did a Roman sword end up in Kraków-Częstochowa Upland? And why was it broken in two?
The Inventum Association said the sword could have been reused by the local Vandal warriors, then broken and buried in a funeral ritual, but the theory hasn’t been confirmed.
The sword is being held at the Częstochowa Museum and will undergo further analysis, Science in Poland said.
Kraków-Częstochowa Upland is a forest area near Krakow in southern Poland and a roughly 180-mile drive southeast of Warsaw.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland and Facebook post from the Inventum Association.
This story was originally published February 19, 2025 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Metal detectorists searching for WWII artifacts uncover much older and rarer weapon."
