Metal detectorist finds 1,000-year-old sword piece in Poland. ‘Hard to put into words'

Miami Herald

26-03-2025

Michał Młotek is no stranger to archaeological discovery.
The metal detectorist, history buff, online museum founder and local government official used to spend a lot of his free time with the Iława Exploration Group search group, scouring the fields and forests around north-central Poland.
'Using metal detectors, we focus on finding traces of (an) early medieval settlement — dating back to before the official founding of the town,' Młotek told McClatchy News in an email on March 26.
In previous searches, Młotek and the group discovered 11th-century coins, as well as a 'pochwy miecza,' or chape, the decorated end of a sword scabbard, in 2015, Młotek said.
Now, with the chance to go back on the hunt, he's made another discovery,
'It was during one of these expeditions that I discovered the chape of a sword scabbard,' Młotek said. 'Since it wasn't the first sword chape I had discovered, I immediately recognized what it was.'
He shared the discovery in a March 23 Facebook post.
Młotek said the piece dates to the Middle Ages, about 1,000 years ago, and said it's a very rare find because it is so beautifully decorated and complete, despite being so old.
'It's hard to put into words the emotions of that moment — holding in my hand an object that had been buried in the ground for nearly a thousand years, lost or abandoned in a time when Prussian tribes still roamed these forests,' Młotek said in the email.
The chape had a practical use — protecting the tip of a sword — but also an aesthetic and symbolic purpose, Młotek said in a March 25 interview with the Polish Press Agency.
The iconography of the chap indicated social status and power and likely belonged to a specific team or group within the tribe, Młotek told the agency.
The chape will join a collection at the Museum in Ostróda and is the fifth of its kind to be found from the Middle Ages, officials told the Polish Press Agency.
'Together with the ława Exploration Group, we would like to carry out more detailed research at the discovery site. However, at this stage, everything depends on the decision of the Elbląg delegation of the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Olsztyn, which oversees our activities. We are awaiting further guidelines and hope to continue our work at this promising location,' Młotek said.
Młotek has been involved in historical treasure hunting for two decades and is the founder and operator of the Internet Museum of Iława, a completely online database and exhibitor for artifacts and pieces of Iława history.
Iława is in north-central Poland, about a 150-mile drive northwest from Warsaw.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the Polish Press Agency. Facebook Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Michał Młote.