Archeologists find Viking sword in southern Turkey

By Hatice Ozdemir Tosun

ANTALYA (AA) - Searching through the ancient city of Patara in Turkey's Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkish archeologists uncovered a sword dating back to over a millennium.

Lead excavator Professor Havva Iskan Isik of Akdeniz University told Anadolu Agency that they identified a Viking sword from the ninth or 10th century.

Isik said they have been carrying out excavation works for 30 years and have discovered important archaeological evidence so far.

"Finding a Viking sword in a harbor city in the Mediterranean area is of great importance," she said.

She said the sword offers a clue to how the Vikings served the Eastern Roman Empire, adding that the preserved total length of the sword is 43.2 centimeters (around 17 inches).

The sword was inside a wooden sheath, Isik said, and could have have been left in the grave of a Viking soldier.

According to research, Viking swords in wooden sheaths were left in tombs as a "gift to dead", she said.