9th century sword recovered from the Vistula River

The Włocławek Sports and Leisure Center announced that it had recovered a sword from the Vistula River in Włocławek, Poland. 

 The discovery was made during dredging operations at the marina, where the weapon was partially recovered from river sediments and reported to the State Office for the Protection of Monuments and Monuments (WUOZ).  

The sword was sent to  Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun for further examination and  X-ray analysis, which suggested that its origin was likely around 950 AD. 

Researchers at the State Monuments Conservation Office suspect that the sword is of the Ulfbard type, a transitional weapon between the development of Viking swords and  medieval knightly swords. 

Although thought to be of Frankish origin, most of these types of swords are found primarily in northern Europe and are more likely to have been exported as booty, ransom, or contraband rather than trade goods. . "So far, around 170 Ulfbard swords have  been discovered in Europe," said Sambor Gawinski of the state Monuments Protection Office, with most  of them found in  the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia. He said that 

Image Credit : Ośrodek Sportu i Rekreacji Włocławek

When manufacturing such swords, a precisely defined mixture of carbon is added to the steel. "This gave the  weapon sufficient power, flexibility, flexibility and durability," the state heritage officer said. 

The Vikings used such swords, but  did not actually make them. It was probably made somewhere in Western Europe, but the exact location is still unknown. Professor Wojciech Chudziak of Toruń's Nicolas Copernicus University suspects that the sword was a weapon of Viking warriors. This is supported by the fact that important sea and land routes to Kuyavy, Mazovia and even the Kievan Rus intersected near Włocławek.