- Unearthed in Valencia in 1994, the iron blade has recently been dated back to the tenth century.
- This coincides with the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate over the Iberian Peninsula.
As part of a comprehensive study of Valencia’s assortment of metallic artifacts from the Roman era to the late medieval period, archaeologist José Miguel Osuna spearheaded a recent research.
This particular research focused on a weapon which was found in 1994 on Chabàs Street, a historic thoroughfare located north of Valencia’s ancient Roman forum. This is an area that “has been occupied by various cultures throughout the city’s history, writes Newsweek’s Aristos Georgiou, from 500 to 1000 C.E.
The Iberian Peninsula, comprising mainly Spain and Portugal, was a battleground for Byzantine, Visigothic, and Arab forces. Initially, the Byzantines, hailing from the Middle East, ceded control of the peninsula to the Visigoths of Western Europe. However, in 711, armies under the Umayyad dynasty—the Arab caliphate’s inaugural Muslim regime—united to conquer the entire peninsula, ushering in Islamic rule. The Muslims, also then referred to as the Moors, dubbed their Iberian realm Al-Andalus, a name subsequently modified to Andalusia.
Crafted from iron, the sword is relatively compact, measuring approximately 18 inches in length. According to the statement, its handle features bronze adornments and indentations for improved grip. The blade’s tip exhibits a slight curvature, leading to speculation regarding its chronological origin, as it resembles the design of Visigothic swords. (This likely indicates an evolution from earlier Visigothic models.) Osuna and his team authenticated the artifact’s age by scrutinizing the layers of sedimentary soil in which it was unearthed.
“This sword has a unique design that gives it great archaeological and heritage value,” Counsellor José Luis Moreno stated in the announcement.
The weapon’s petite dimensions and absence of a handguard imply its use by an Andalusian horseman. It stands as the sole Islamic-era sword ever discovered in Valencia. Only one similar weapon has been unearthed in Spain, found on the outskirts of Córdoba. Archaeological discoveries from this era are scarce in the country—and even scarcer in Valencia, owing to the unique characteristics of the city’s soil.
The Iberian Peninsula’s Islamic era was a time of “remarkable cross-cultural exchange between Christian, Jewish and Muslim populations,” asserted the Metropolitan Museum of Art on its website. By the 900s, Córdoba had become “perhaps the greatest intellectual centre of Europe,” the museum adds.
Thanks to the sword’s recent examination, Moreno said, “We have a new treasure in this Islamic Excalibur and a historical legacy of ancient Balansiya.”
