vikıng sword ın asıa mınor
1000-Year-Old Viking Sword In The Ancient City Of Patara In Turkey
The ancient city of Patara is an archaeological site located between the coast of Antalya and Fethiye on the southwestern edge of the Xanthos valley. Ä°t is known as the birthplace of mythological God Apollo, & as the prophecy center dedicated to him. It is one of the most important and oldest cities and ports of Lycia.The wery first data about the existence of patara in history is seen in Herodotus and Hekataios incriptions, who mentioned the prophecy. The Persian satrap (king), Harpagos which overthrew Lycia, was ruled the area for a period. The first information describing the Lykia expedition in 540 BC is mentioned by Herodotus.
As part of excavation works in the ancient city of Patara along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered an exceptional Viking sword, believed to be nearly 1,000 years old. Later renamed to Arsinoe, the region was once a thriving maritime city, situated on the south-west coast of Lycia close to the present-day village of GelemiÅŸ in the Antalya Province.
Dating back to around 7,000 BC, the original sword was discovered eight years back during digs in Turkey’s Mersin province. The newly-found one, however, is thought to be from the 9th or 10th century AD. The ancient blade, is corroded and broken in many places. Measuring around 17 inches (43.2 centimeters) in length, the artifact sports an oval-shaped hilt.
Apart from that, the ‘pırazvana’ – essentially, the portion of the Viking sword that comes inside the holder’s grip – has a narrow shape, leading up to the ‘topuz’ or knob. The sword’s knob, as per the researchers, is single layered and is next to a flat guard situated on the handle’s upper side. Upon further inspection, the archaeologists also found traces on the sword blade which indicate that it might have been kept inside a wooden sheath.
The Viking sword is thought to be belonged to a Viking mercenary from the Vareg Corps in the sea battles of the Eastern Roman Empire in the first half of the 9th and 10th centuries. In fact, facing with a viking in Anatolia or in Mediterranen was a wery rare situation, but the truth is that, Viking warriors were used to be paid to be mercenaries in Byzantion army and especially in the naval forces.
