Sword

• Damascus steel,
• Late Germanic from around 200 A.D.
• length: approx. 79 cm
• on loan by the State Office for Culture and Heritage in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The inlays on the blade show a stylised eagle and a humanoid figure. The latter may depict a god. Another comparable sword, recently recovered in a better condition, supports this theory. Also sporting the figure of an eagle, Mars – the god of war – is clearly recognisable. The inlay is probably copper.

The Damascus sword is Roman in origin and dates from the 2nd century. Most likely it was taken to 'Germania Libera' along a trade route, as a gift, or as a personal item owned by a soldier in the service of the Romans. It may have been brought to the Uecker lowlands as a sacrificial offering. Other bones and weapons were discovered there just recently during digging work. This would support the assumption that a Germanic cult site was once located at its finding place in the Uecker lowlands.