How the discovery of four swords changed what we knew about the Roman Empire

In 2023, archeologists unearthed four impressive and unexpected finds in a cave that changed what we thought we knew about the Roman Empire at the height of its power in world history.

Archeologists in Israel unearthed four ancient swords while excavating a cave near the Dead Sea, and even more remarkable than the find was what it could tell us about our ancient history.

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The four well-preserved swords were discovered in the crevice of a cave somewhere in the En Gedi Nature Reserve and still had their original wooden and leather hilts intact. 

A statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority noted that the swords appear to have been hidden by Judean rebels after they were taken from the Roman army as plunder. 

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“The hiding of the swords and the pilum in deep cracks in the isolated cave north of ‘En Gedi, hints that the weapons were taken as booty,” explained Dr. Eitan Klein. 

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Dr. Klein is the Director of the Judean Desert Survey Project and he went on to note the swords were likely hidden by Judean rebels so that they could be reused at a later time. 

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Judean rebels obviously wouldn’t have wanted to be caught carrying such incriminating weapons around according to Dr. Klein, which is why he believed they were so well hidden. 

However, the exact historical event to which the weapons can be linked eluded Klein and his fellow researchers at the time, though committed themselves to figuring out how they got there. 

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“We will try to pinpoint the historical event that led to the caching of these weapons in the cave and determine whether it was at the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt,” Dr. Klein said. 

The Smithsonian noted that the Bar Kokhba Revolt took place between 132 and 135 CE and was ultimately unsuccessful and led to heavy Jewish losses and more persecution. 

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The swords themselves are impressive finds, and three of them have been identified as Roman spatha swords while the final sword was thought to be a Roman pommel sword. 

“Finding a single sword is rare—so four? It’s a dream! We rubbed our eyes to believe it,” the archeologists told the Israel Antiquities Authority about their discovery at ‘En Gedi. 

The researchers hadn't attached an exact date to the period the swords were from the Associated Press reported at the time, but they did mention their current estimates were based on their typography.  

A Roman military javelin known as a pilum was also found with the four swords but has not made nearly as big of a splash as the four swords due to the history they can reveal. 

“Each one of them can tell you an entire story,” Guy Stiebel, an archeologist at Tel Aviv University, explained to the Associated Press about the discovery of the four swords. 

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Stiebel explained that the swords reflected a much “grander narrative” of the Roman Empire since they were found in such a remote cave and were most likely produced elsewhere. 

“This is a dramatic and exciting discovery, touching on a specific moment in time,” noted the Israel Antiquities Authority’s director Eli Escusido in a statement according to the Armstrong Institute of Archeology.

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“This is a unique time capsule, whereby fragments of scrolls, coins from the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals, and now even swords in their scabbards, sharp as if they had only just been hidden away today,” Escusido added.

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A lot of amazing artifacts were unearthed by archeologists in 2023 but one of the most promising and unexpected discoveries also turned out to be one of the year's best according to a ranking from National Geographic.

In its yearly ranking of the world's top archeological discoveries, National Geographic opted to rank the stunning uncovering of four ancient swords in Israel as the number one finds on its 2023 list. Here's what we know about this archeological discovery.

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