700-year-old weapon unearthed with metal detector in Polish forest

A 700-year-old iron spearhead was discovered by a metal detector hobbyist in Poland last month, according to a Facebook post by the Lublin Provincial Conservator of Monuments. 

Łukasz Jabłoński was exploring with his metal detector in the forest near the Polish village of Tereszpol in Biłgoraj County, about 160 miles southeast of Warsaw. When the device went off he began digging and unearthed the centuries-old weapon. Jabłoński didn’t have to dig deep to find the spearhead, as it was buried only about half a foot underground. 

According to the Facebook post by the Conservator of Monuments, the spear is between 700 to 1,000 years old and is in good condition despite its age and rust.

Photos of the rusty spearhead show that it is about 10 inches long with a diamond-shaped blade at the top and cone-like sleeve at the bottom, which would have been attached to a shaft in order to be used as a weapon according to archaeologists.

Jabłoński immediately contacted the conservation office over the phone to notify them of his discovery. Authorities said that the “presented find will be handed over to the Museum in Belgrade.” The artifact was given over to authorities and will be transferred to the Biłgoraj Land Museum.

Previous archaeological finds 

Jabłoński had received permission from authorities to search areas with his metal detector and this was not his first archaeological discovery.

In January, he discovered 13 bronze artifacts that were around 2,500 years old at the meadows in Czerniczyn Poduchowny in southeastern Poland.