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During urban redevelopment work west of the Jaffa Gate, one of the seven main entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem, archaeologists stumbled upon an unexpected treasure. The Israel Antiquities Authority, led by archaeologist Aren Maeir, uncovered a complex of buildings dating from the late 6th to early 7th centuries CE. This discovery, part of the Mamilla Project, revealed structures with industrial and commercial purposes.
Beneath the floor of a multi-roomed building, archaeologists found a shallow pit containing a trove of six iron swords with double-edged blades. Residues of fossilized wood were identified in both the handles and blades, particularly a sample identified as oak. These swords, used by auxiliary troops of the Roman and later Byzantine armies in the Eastern Roman Empire, shed light on the military history of the region.
The excavation and revelation of the sword hoard, including a shield’s boss, took place during the 1980s-1990s but had not been thoroughly studied until recently.
One of the tombs within the temple’s floor, dated to the mid-5th century CE, belonged to a Roman officer of possible Germanic origin, as suggested by the intentional destruction of his sword—a custom observed in Germanic tribes. The warrior was buried with his complete equipment, and alongside the skeleton, fragments of the shield, spearhead, and the folded sword were discovered.
The folded sword, a practice known in Western Europe, was identified for the first time in Thessaloniki and Macedonia, as reported by Melina Paisidou and Henri Maniotis.
The question of why a warrior of Germanic origin would be in Thessaloniki was answered by historical sources. During the reign of Theodosius II, in the mid-5th century CE—coinciding with the dating of the tomb (430-450 CE)—Gothic mercenaries were stationed in Thessaloniki and the broader Balkan region to safeguard the empire’s borders from hostile invasions.
Similar swords, resembling those found in Jerusalem, have been discovered in various locations across the Balkans and the wider Mediterranean basin. For instance, a sword blade from the 7th century CE was unearthed in Ephesus, and a similar sword was found in the ancient fortress of Sredna Kaley in Pleven, Bulgaria. Numerous coins discovered in Pleven, dating from the late 6th to early 7th centuries CE, provided a chronological context for the sword.
Another similar sword was recently found in the necropolis of Singidunum (ancient Belgrade) in Serbia, a region that played a significant role during the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods. This sword, broken into three pieces, featured an iron cross on the hilt guard.
Similar swords are also on display in the National Roman Museum in Rome, while a collection in Spain includes a sword, a spearhead, and coins dating to the 9th century CE, associated with the presence of the Roman army in various locations in Iberia.
