A Roman spatha, a long, straight sword, dating back to the 3rd or 4th century C.E., was unearthed in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland in southern Poland. Metal detectorists Rafal Proszowski and Mariusz Lampa discovered the artifact while searching for World War II relics and reported it to local authorities.
Experts from the Częstochowa Museum secured the sword. They identified it as a spatha, a weapon used by Celtic auxiliaries in the Roman army and later adopted by the Roman infantry and cavalry. The sword was found broken into three pieces, with marks suggesting exposure to fire.
This discovery aligns with the burial customs of the Przeworsk culture, an Iron Age society inhabiting present-day Poland during the Roman era. Their rituals involved cremation and deposition of ashes with grave goods, often including broken weapons for warriors.
The Przeworsk culture, influenced by Celtic and Germanic groups like the Vandals, declined in the late 5th century due to Hunnic invasions and the collapse of Roman trade networks. The sword will undergo conservation before being exhibited at the town hall.