Israel: Shlomi Katzin found the one-meter (3.3-foot) sword, highly coated with marine creatures, in shallow seas off Haifa after sands shifted. It will be shown after being cleaned and analyzed, according to the Israel Antiques Authority (IAA).
The Crusades, which began in 1095 and lasted decades, saw European Christians travel to the Middle East in an attempt to wrest sovereignty of Jerusalem and other areas of the Holy Land from Muslim rulers.
During centuries of shipping activity along the coast, the Carmel shore, where the blade was discovered, offered refuge for ships during storms, according to Kobi Sharvit, who heads the IAA’s Marine Archaeology Unit. He said that researchers thought it may be connected to the neighboring crusader fortress of Atlit.
