The renowned mythical tale of King Arthur recounts the legendary moment when he extracted the magical Excalibur sword from the stone in which it was forged.
In a fascinating reflection of this fabled story, archaeologists have recently made a discovery that echoes the ancient narrative. They unearthed a 700-year-old weapon embedded within rock at the bottom of a lake.
This 14th-century sword was found in the Vrbas River, near the village of Rakovice in the northern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lodged 36 feet beneath the water’s surface, firmly entrenched in solid rock for an extended period, this sword has now been dubbed ‘Excalibur,’ drawing parallels to the legendary tale of King Arthur.
Experts in weaponry are celebrating this medieval discovery as a significant archaeological find. Ivana Pandzic, an archaeologist and curator at the Museum of the Republika Srpska, emphasized the careful effort required to dislodge the rusted weapon.
“The sword was firmly entrenched in solid rock, necessitating careful extraction. This discovery holds dual value—both scientifically and historically—as it marks the first sword found near the medieval city of Zvečaj,” Pandzic explained.
She further noted that only one other sword from this era has been discovered in the Balkans over the past nine decades. Analysis of the blade indicates its origins between the late 13th and early 15th centuries.
The sword’s location near the ruins of a medieval castle in the city of Zvečaj, once the residence of Bosnian rulers, adds to its historical significance. The medieval village of Zvečaj, in its prime, boasted its nobility and revolved around a now-ruined castle on the Mreznica riverbank in the present-day county of Karlovac.
Having undergone a tumultuous history, the castle was demolished in 1777, and today, a private residence stands on the castle’s ruins, preserving parts of the remaining tower.
While many mythologists and historians view the legend of King Arthur’s Excalibur as a metaphor for extracting iron ore from stone during the Iron Age, real-world discoveries of medieval swords thrust into stones corroborate the tale, as seen in Tuscany’s Montesiepi Chapel.
Historians are currently endeavoring to unravel the mystery of how this sword became embedded in the rock and the circumstances surrounding this extraordinary find.
