8-Year-Old Girl Finds 1,500-Year-Old Sword Hidden in Swedish Lake
Over the summer, an eight-year-old girl turned an idle day at the lake into a significant historical discovery when she found a 1,500-year-old sword from Europe's Iron Age. The 33-inch long artifact was sitting in a shallow body of water, about 1.5 feet below the surface when it was happened upon by the young girl.
Prior to unearthing the object, the girl named Saga Vanecek was dong run-of-the-mill kid stuff, like "throwing sticks and stones and stuff to see how far they skip," per a report in Sky News.
Upon finding the sword, she held it up to display the weathered blade to her dad: "I held it up in the air and I said 'Daddy, I found a sword!'"
Realizing the significance of the find, the family turned the antiquity over to the archaeologists at the Jönköpings County Museum, who've also marveled at the sword's great condition. The museum says the object is "exceptionally well-preserved with swordskid in wood and leather. It has been preliminarily estimated to be from the Iron Age, that is, at least 1000 years, maybe even 1500 years old."
Archaeologists took a cue from the discovery, returning to the site for further investigations. Their instincts proved correct, too: A piece of metal jewelry from the year A.D. 300-400 was also pulled from the waters of Lake Vidöstern.
The sword is currently being examined by conservators, but there's tentative plans for its exhibition in at least a year, reports Sweden's The Local.
Archaeologists aren't done scouring the lake for more relics. A team from the Jönköping County Museum, the County Administrative Board of Jönköping County and members of the Swedish Metal Searchers Association will continue probing the region "to see if there are any additional items that can clarify how the findings are to be interpreted."
Let's hope it's teeming with artifacts down there.
Source: Jönköping County Museum via Sky News
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