Anyone who has ever marveled at the ingenuity of a folding umbrella, a folding chair or a folding bicycle might think a folded sword offered a similar compactness and convenience to the soldier who carried one. Sadly, the mysterious soldier who carried a recently discovered folded sword wouldn’t have been able to use it – the sword was placed in his grave after his death. Moreover, convenience wasn’t the purpose of this particular folded sword.
“The sword was deliberately folded, not broken.”
Archaeologist Melina Paisidou presented her findings on this unusual sword at the recent 33rd Archaeological Conference for the excavations in Macedonia and Thrace. It came from a tomb in the Basilica of Thessaloniki – the second-largest city in Greece. Discovered in 2010, the tomb was part of approximately three thousand burial monuments in a variety of shapes and ages. What made this one stand out was the armament found next to the remains – the sword, a dagger and a ‘boss’ from the center of a shield. Paisidou explained to athina984.gr that weapons are rare in Greek tombs, but the folded sword was unique and worthy of further study. (Photos of the sword and the tomb here.)