A pair of pipe-layers and engineers, Jannick Vestergaard and Henning Nohr, were recently working in Denmark’s fourth-largest city, Aalborg. Earlier in February of 2019, they pulled out a still sharp, medieval-era sword. This find is fascinatingly rare, reported the Smithsonian.

Jannick Vestergaard and Henning Nohr proudly holding the sword they discovered in the sewer

In early February of 2019, a pipe-layer and an engineer were doing construction in the sewers of Aalborg, Denmark’s fourth-largest city.

The sword, measuring 1.1 meters (approx. 3.6 feet)

While the manufacturing technique the sword was crafted with is common today, it wasn’t when it was made. In addition, it’s theorized that a highly-skilled weapons manufacturer is responsible for the creation of the sword, as it reportedly has “an extremely high level of workmanship.”

The city of Aalborg has a history of archaeological findings

Aalborg has a record of hosting historical findings dating back to the 1300’s. Archaeologist Kenneth Nielson suggested that it was from around that timeframe. “Discoveries from here generally point in the direction of the 1300s, so the sword must have ended in the ground in that century,” said Nielsen.

The Historical Museum of Northern Jutland

The two workers were prompted to immediately contact the Historical Museum of Northern Jutland, which they did. According to museum workers, the sword was extremely expensive and likely belonged to a member of the royal family. “Acquiring a sword in the Middle Ages was an extremely costly affair, and only the warrior elite — who then consisted of the nobility — could afford to carry such a weapon,” the museum confirmed. The sword will be displayed at the museum.

The best explanation anyone could come up with was that the owner had died in battle.

It was common for warriors to be buried with their weapons, making this find even more unusual. The 1300’s were a time of relative instability in Denmark, so it is very likely that the owner was fighting.“The best explanation we can come up with is that the owner of the sword was defeated in a battle,” said Nielsen. “In the tumult, it was then trod down into the layer of mud that formed the street back then.”

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