By Tim Binnall
A diver exploring the waters off the northern coast of Israel stumbled upon a rather remarkable find in the form of a 900-year-old from the Crusader period. Shlomi Katzin reportedly made the discovery this past Saturday during a dive near the country's Carmel Beach. Spotting an anchor and a few other artifacts that had apparently been exposed by an undercurrent, the underwater explorer ventured over to the items and, to his surprise, found the approximately three-foot-long sword that was covered in crustaceans and other marine life.
To his credit, Katzin opted to remove the object from the scene, in order to keep it from falling into the hands of treasure hunters, and promptly turned it over to Israel Antiques Authority. An inspector of the department's Robbery Prevention Unit, Nir Distelfeld, marveled that the sword "has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find." He went on to surmise that the weapon, which appears to be made of iron, "evidently belonged to a Crusader knight," making it around 900 years old.
Now in the hands of the country's National Treasures Department, the sword is set to be cleaned and subsequently studied by experts before eventually being put on display for the public. Presumably, the additional artifacts found at the dive site will also receive similar treatment. As for Katzin, authorities lauded his decision to alert the proper authorities to the object rather than simply keep it for himself and, as such, the diver received a good citizenship award for the unselfish act.