Roman Sword in Nova Scotia?

[dropzone]

@slash2k

… but nobody (well, at least nobody sensible) posits Arabs running around the north of England in the tenth century.

What is so hard to believe about it? If people are anything, we’re portable, and people from the Mediterranean made it to Cornwall 2500 years before that to trade for tin. Cumbria is just a few hundred miles up the A5 and A6, which both follow Roman roads, which undoubtedly followed older roads. Or you can go by sea. Being skeptical is nice, but skepticism with knowledge is better.

[Merneith]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

Swords were expensive, and an old crappy bronze sword is much better than a dagger or no sword at all. So it’s not implausible that somebody would carry this one (assuming it had been a real sword instead of what seems to be a fairly recent replica) having no better option.

I would think even a wooden club with a good handle would be a better choice for fighting against a working iron age sword than this thing with its thin, knobbly, cast bronze figure. Can you imagine trying to retain your grip on this thing when it slams against an iron sword or shield?

Also, keep in mind that the Bronze age pre-dates the Roman era. The Iron Age in Europe began about 1000bc. The Roman republic began around 500bc. The Romans were a thoroughly Iron Age culture. For there to be a genuine bronze sword kicking around in the 1000ad, in order for a Viking to haul it over here and dump it in the ocean - it’s just not plausible. It would already be about 2000 years old when the Vikings (supposedly) arrive at Oak Island. But the blade is that thick, blunt & regular? I don’t think so.

[justindemetri]

sword is a hoax. you can buy them online. Here is one from Italian Ebay: http://www.ebay.it/itm/PARTICOLARE-SCULTURA-COMMEMORATIVA-SPADA-BRONZEA-ROMANA-CON-IMPUGNATURA-STATUA-/301746768453

There are many more like it found online. It is a hoax and not a very good one.

[Merneith]

Hilarious. Good find, Justin.

[Toxylon]

This mystery and thread has just about run their course, but:

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

Swords were expensive, and an old crappy bronze sword is much better than a dagger or no sword at all. So it’s not implausible that somebody would carry this one (assuming it had been a real sword instead of what seems to be a fairly recent replica) having no better option.

We don’t need to speculate what the Vikings et al qualified for weaponry, as there are thousands of swords from that period from Fennoscandia alone. Quality blades were valuable, and old blades were sometimes used, but only to the extent of century-or-couple-old heirloom, high-quality steel blades re-fitted with an up-to-date hilt. No Viking or other contemporary warrior would have been caught dead with a primitive-to-them bronze blade, even if it had been effective against advanced iron armament. Old bronze objects, sometimes plundered from ancient graves, were promptly melted and re-cast into brooches, bracelets, hilts and other bling bling in present style.

[Mangetout]

@justindemetri

sword is a hoax. you can buy them online. Here is one from Italian Ebay: http://www.ebay.it/itm/PARTICOLARE-SCULTURA-COMMEMORATIVA-SPADA-BRONZEA-ROMANA-CON-IMPUGNATURA-STATUA-/301746768453

There are many more like it found online. It is a hoax and not a very good one.

Nice. I was trying google image searches for something similar, but didn’t turn up anything.