In Spanish Valencia, there is the small town of Ain. Near it are the ruins of the castle of Benali, which are considered a local landmark. Honestly, there’s nothing to see there: all that is there are the ruins of the tower and the remains of the walls, surrounded by lush southern vegetation.
Meanwhile, local authorities look at these ruins in their own way. This castle was built during the rule of Muslims, that is, it is part of Spanish history and is part of the Sierra de Espadén National Park. That is why in 2017, large-scale restoration work began here, aimed at preventing the destruction of the castle and giving it the status of a local landmark of first magnitude.
During the second stage of the excavation, historians managed to make a rare discovery. Archaeologists have found a medieval sword, which, by the way, is well preserved.
Its total length is 940 mm, and the size of the crossbar is 130 mm. Bronze rims and spherical tips are preserved on its handle, sometimes it is called an apple. On the blade made deepening (Dol). It was intended to reduce the weight of the sword and to obtain an additional stiffener.
Most likely, the sword was forged by an experienced master and could well have belonged to a knight, a warrior of uneasy origin. The head of the excavation, Vicente Vivo, said that most likely the castle was quickly destroyed - they did not even have time to plunder it. The sword was probably lost during the onslaught of the enemy or during the ensuing fire.
Finds that archaeologists make during excavations on the ruins of castles are rarely intact. As a rule, these are either seriously damaged items or their fragments. So, in the castle of Montfort, which belonged to the knights of the Teutonic Order, rusty chain mail, elements of ammunition, remnants of weapons of those times were discovered.
Meanwhile, in the castle of Benali, historians are fortunate enough to preserve a sword. Of course, for 700 years the metal was covered with corrosion. But overall, the condition of the sword is beautiful. The leader of the expedition does not hide his hopes for new discoveries.
The origins quickly calculated at what time this event occurred, which became fatal for the castle and the owner of the sword. The shape of the weapon and some other details indicate that the sword was forged in the XIV century and belonged to a knight who fought in the castle during the "War of the Two Pedro" (1356 - 1367).
This war has become a disaster for Valencia. For many years, two kings, Pedro of Castile and Pedro of Aragon, plagued each other with constant skirmishes on the border of Castile and Aragon. They did not switch to full-fledged military actions, but the frontier lands regularly changed hands. The city of Ain for 20 years of this conflict was seriously battered by both Castilian and Aragonese troops.
But at the end of the war, the misadventures of the castle did not end. In the 16th century, its ruins became the center of resistance for Arabs living in Valencia. Although this story has nothing to do with the sword, it does make it possible to make new archaeological discoveries and obtain new data about the past. For example, about the "Revolt of the Brotherhood" and the oppression of the Moors living at that time in these territories or about the forced baptism of Muslims in Aragon in 1525 - 1526.
Over time, this castle lost its meaning and was abandoned for many centuries. But nowadays its ruins and an old rusty sword have been able to tell their story, albeit small - but part of the history of the country.
