Amateur Metal Detectorist Finds Thousand-Year-Old Sword Sheath in Poland

In a forest near the city of Iława in Poland, a discovery made by a local history enthusiast with a metal detector is set to shed light on the region’s history. An amateur treasure hunter who found the lower part of an early medieval sword sheath, estimated to be about a thousand years old, desires this unique artifact to enrich the collections of the Ostróda Museum.

This discovery, made by Michał Młotek, affiliated with the Iława Search Group, excited history enthusiasts in the region. The bronze sword sheath is considered to be a part of the weapons of a warrior from the Prussian tribe in the past. Michał Młotek reported the find to the Elbląg delegation of the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments, emphasizing the importance of the artifact.

Experts evaluating the discovery state that the found sword sheath is a unique and extremely rare artifact. In particular, the fact that the artifact is complete and beautifully decorated increases the value of the find. it was emphasized that the sword sheath not only had a practical function but also carried aesthetic and symbolic meaning. It was stated that such artifacts were used as an indicator of social status, power, membership in a team, or a function in a tribe.

Michał Młotek, who has been managing the Iława Internet Museum for 20 years and is known as a passionate advocate of local history, made another significant contribution to the region’s history with this discovery, after winning an award in the 2022 Science Popularizer competition. An old shoe he found about twelve years ago, dating back to the second half of the 10th century, was also transferred to the Museum of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn.

Michał Młotek stated that he will do his best to ensure that the relic he discovered this time enriches the collections of the Ostróda Museum. Łukasz Szczepański, an archaeologist from the Ostróda Museum, announced that this find will be the fifth early medieval sword sheath in the museum’s collections. It was stated that these artifacts are exhibited as proof that the use of swords was an elite weapon in the region.

This discovery from Iława is just one example of valuable finds made by local history enthusiasts in the region. In mid-March, near Leśniewo, a member of the Kętrzyn Country Lovers Association named after Sofya Lichareva found a small discoidal object made of bronze. According to the report of the Monument Protection Services, archaeologists evaluate this piece as most likely a decorative belt piece of the Balteus type. Such belts, which were hung over the shoulder and on which a sword was attached, were typical equipment of Roman legionnaires. They were borrowed by the Elbe tribes and adapted for their own use and spread from there to Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea basin.

Cover Photo: Michał Młotek

PAP