The British Library is asking for help in deciphering the engraving on the sword of the XIII century




A sword with mysterious engraved on the blade, found in the river Uitam. I>

The British Library in its official blog published запись, which asks the Internet community assistance in deciphering the mysterious inscriptions on the blade of the ancient sword found in July 1825 in river Uitam , Lincolnshire, England. The find is a 964 mm long sword and a weight of 1, 2 kilograms with a double-edged sword.

Estimated time and place of manufacture of the blade - Germany, XIII century, the era of the Crusades and the Crusaders (Fourth Crusade dates back to the year 1202), but the sword is believed to English. Nakhodka, with high probability, was a ceremonial weapon, as indicated by the cross-shaped hilt. Another distinctive feature of the sword - there are two Dolov.

On the blade of the sword marked the Latin alphabet, with two sides bounded crosses: «+ NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI +». What exactly does this inscription scientists do not know yet. Some researchers believe that the beginning of the inscription «NDXOX», specifically «ND» can be interpreted as Nostrum Dominus (which in Latin means "Our Lord"), and the sequence of symbols «XOX» and «OXO» may be a reference to the Holy Trinity.

Researcher Mark van Hasselt from Utrecht University said that the inscription on the sword is an acronym for the words or phrases in Latin, "international" language of the time. According to him, these swords were in vogue among European nobility of 1200, respectively. Dozens of similar blades have been found in other parts of the territory of present-day Poland, Sweden and France. Some found the swords are the same with each other and are, in fact, twins.

British Library staff believe that deciphering the inscriptions on this and other swords will help to better understand the culture of medieval Europe, and enthusiasts can greatly simplify the job of scientists. At the moment, the sword is the showpiece of the exhibition «Magna Carta: laws, regulations, Heritage» a > (Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy).

Source:
geektimes.ru/post/260054/

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