A medieval sword has been found during an excavation in Halmstad. The grave was found under the floor of St. Anna’s Church and the find is described by archaeologists as very unusual.
The blade of the sword is said to be about 1.3 meters long and was found in a grave next to a man who was 1.90 meters tall. The grave was found under the floor of the southern nave of the late medieval convent of St. Anna’s Church at Lilla Torg in Halmstad. The convent must have been active in Halmstad between 1494 and 1531. Two other graves were found near the site, where a man and a woman were buried. However, nothing other than the sword has been found so far.
“The sword is also the only buried object found in the 49 graves that have been examined so far during the ongoing reconstruction of Lilla Torg. Finding swords in medieval graves is very unusual, and the people who were buried with swords belonged to the upper echelons of society”, writes Kulturmiljö Halland in its blog.
Archaeologists speculate that the abbey church may have been a burial place for nobles during its active years, which is underlined by this remarkable find. The first X-ray examination of the sword reveals two inlaid precious metal crosses on the blade. The sword is currently undergoing conservation and will be subject to further study.
