In 2022, Szczepan Skibicki of the Military Museum of Białystok made a remarkable discovery during a swim in the Supraśl river. This was an area he was familiar with from his previous spare-time swims. One late afternoon, while swimming, he noticed something unusual. An area previously covered with sediment had washed away, revealing an interesting object beneath. As he recalled, "At about 120cm [four feet] deep, I spotted an interesting object which turned out to be a sword! Then for the first and last time, I screamed for joy under the water!…Thanks to my education and work I knew how to secure it and which services to notify."

Expert Insights on the Sword

Dr. Ryszard Kaźmierczak of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń believes the sword is from the 9th century and was likely used by the Vikings or Baltic peoples. He stated, "We think there is a high probability that there was a fight by the river, a battle and the sword was in the water with its owner." This discovery holds significant historical value and provides insights into the past.The sword contains fragments that have been mineralized, as noted in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education's press release. "The middle part shows how time has acted," said Sadowski in the translated release. "When these swords were fought, the middle part was the one that most often took the blows and, by necessity, some micro-cracks, scratches, splinters appeared, which caused the material to react in this way and not in any other way for a thousand years."Sadowski also described the sword as a unique find. "This one presented today [Nov. 29], however, thanks to more modern preservation methods, has preserved its structure, and, most exceptionally, the mineralized leather on the handle and head."After taking out the sword and ensuring it was in a wet environment, Skibicki alerted the authorities. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education noted that before the sword could be transferred to the Military Museum, it had to go through legal protocol overseen by the Provincial Conservator of Monument. Once it became the property of the Military Museum, the sword went into conservation involving specialists from the Institute of Archaeology of the Nicolaus Copernicus University. The restoration work took about five months, with Kazimierczak saying the process involved the careful removal of mineralized coatings so as not to alter the sword's original form and shape. The work occurred in a "wet environment" to prevent the sword from drying out.The Military Museum said it is hoping to display the sword in December of this year, while adding that an article about the object will be published in 2025 in one of the museum's scientific notebooks. Of discovering this once-lost treasure in the water, Skibicki told reporters on Nov. 29, "Finding it can be compared to the luck of hitting six in the lottery." This sword is a remarkable piece of history that has now been preserved and may soon be on display for all to see.