A cache of four excellently preserved Roman swords have been discovered by Israeli researchers in a cave overlooking the Dead Sea.

Three of the 1,900-year-old weapons, whose iron blades are 60-65cm long (24-26in), were still in wooden scabbards.

They were found in a near-inaccessible crevice by a team photographing an ancient inscription on a stalactite.

Archaeologists believe the swords were hidden by Judean rebels after they were seized from the Roman army as booty.

“This is a dramatic and exciting discovery, touching on a specific moment in time,” Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said in a statement.

Mr Escusido said that the dry desert climate around the Dead Sea enabled the preservation of artefacts that would not survive elsewhere in Israel.

“This is a unique time capsule, whereby fragments of scrolls, coins from the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals, and now even swords in their scabbards, sharp as if they had only just been hidden away today.”

image credit DAFNA GAZIT/ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY

more at bbc.com

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