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A rare sword dub '' Excalibur '' from the Spanish urban center of Valencia is 1,000 years old , meaning it was last wielded when much of Spain was controlled by Muslim rulers , young research bring out .

The 18 - inch - prospicient ( 46 centimeter ) iron sword was found in an just position inside a tomb in 1994 , direct its discoverer to call it " Excalibur " after the fabled sword ofKing Arthur , who , according to knightly folklore , pulled an upright sword out of a stone and then ascend the throne of Britain .

A scientist measures the "Excalibur" sword while wearing white gloves against a white background.

A sword nicknamed Excalibur was found to date to the Islamic period of Spain during the 10th century.

The Valencia brand was found in an Islamic - era theatre north of the ancientRomanforum . The hilt of the blade is decorated with bronze plates and carry notches that made the blade easier to handle , metropolis of Valencia officials say in a translatedstatement .

Even though the blade was found in an Islamic - era abode , one feature made the sword difficult to escort : The sword curves slightly toward the tip . This characteristic is also seen in brand made by theVisigoths , who find Spain from A.D. 418 to 711 , the statement said . This raised the interrogative of whether the sword dated to Visigothic or Islamic ( 711 to 1492 ) times .

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A corroded bronze sword broken into three parts is reassembled on a long light-colored wooden board. The board is on the snow-covered ground, and a yellow measuring tape is expanded beside the sword.

To answer this question , the urban center paid a learnedness toJosé Miguel Osuna , an archaeologist at the University of Granada , to appointment the brand . By studying the weapon ’s metalworking and the sediment in which the sword was found , he determined that the sword dates to the 10th century , when Valencia was under Moslem principle and its name was Balansiya .

He also find that the weapon ’s size and lack of a hand guard suggested that the brand was used by a horseman . The research has not yet been publish in a scientific journal .

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The artifact is a rarefied find ; it ’s the first sword from the Islamic time period to be unearthed in Valencia , according to the instruction .

an aerial view of an excavated fort

During the time of Moslem formula architecture , artistic creation and lit prospered . The last Moslem state in Spain came to an end in 1492 , when the emirate of Granada surrendered to the military force of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella .

bookman and city officials involved with the research did not return postulation for comment by the meter of publication .

A photo of medieval plate armor that a "knight in shining armor" would wear.

Four views of a gold-covered figurine in the shape of a woman. She holds a shield and a sword and wears her hair in a ponytail. There is a small hole behind her neck, perhaps for hanging.

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Fragment of a stone with relief carving in the ground

Stone-lined tomb.

Circular alignment of stones in the center of an image full of stones

Three-dimensional rendering of an HIV virus

Remains of the Heroon, a small temple built for the burial cluster of Philip II at the Museum of the Royal Tombs inside the Great Tumulus of Aigai (Aegae)

The coin hoard, amounting to over $340,000, was possibly hidden by people fleeing political persecution.

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an illustration of DNA

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An image of the Eagle Nebula, a cluster of young stars.

a reconstruction of an early reptile