Shlomi Katsin, one of the amateur divers, accidentally found an iron sword at the bottom of the sea in Israel. This artifact is believed to have been lost about 800 years ago during a war between the Crusaders and the Muslim inhabitants of coastal towns.

The results of the examination of this work were published by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the journal Atiqot.

In the process of pulling the weapon out of the water, archaeologists noticed that it was covered with bullets, sand, and other hard organisms called “biogenic shells.” Despite its ugly condition, this shell actually helped preserve the gun all these years. Generally, iron undergoes oxidation and destruction when it comes into contact with salt water. However, thanks to such protection, this iron work has survived to the present day.

However, a thick layer of crust and sand made the sword difficult to examine further. That’s why the Israel Antiquities Authority acquired advanced X-ray equipment from the Soreq Nuclear Research Center for further analysis.

Research results indicate that the sword was probably lost during the battle on the ship. This conclusion is based on the slight bending of the blade of the weapon, and the damage to the handle – the crossbar.

It is possible that the owner of this sword also died in battle, but no human remains were found near the weapon. But scientists believe it is possible to find these remains in future research.