5 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Rare Langsax fighting blade with Viking origins discovered in Poland

Archaeologists working in the Wdecki Landscape Park in Poland’s Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship have discovered a rare langsax long knife with potential Viking roots.

Researchers were looking for one of the forgotten combat locations from the Polish-Pomeranian struggle of AD 1091 when Duke Wadysaw I Herman of Poland sought to conquer the area of Pomerania. The knife was discovered by accident.

The blade was classified as a “loose find” by archaeologist Mateusz Sosnowski, who participates and coordinates research on behalf of the Wdecki Landscape Park because there were no cultural strata in situ to show a larger link with the surroundings.

The long blade, according to Dr. Piotr Pranke of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru’s Department of History of Scandinavia, Central, and Eastern Europe, was an exceptionally uncommon Norwegian langsax from the 8th century AD.

The long blade has a total length of 90 cm and a blade length of 80 cm. “It is a weapon of impressive size for a long knife, which could easily measure up against double-edged swords from that period,” In a statement to PAP, Sosnowski said.

Mateusz Sosnowski holding the blade. Photo: O. Popkiewicz
Mateusz Sosnowski holding the blade. Photo: O. Popkiewicz

The long blade appears to be in virtually excellent condition at first glance, with only the blade tip partly bent.

“We intend to carry out detailed metallographic tests (the study of the microstructure of all types of metallic alloys) that may allow us to gain additional knowledge about this unique specimen of a weapon,” told Sosnowski.

In 2015, the object most similar to the langsax found in Wdecki Landscape Park is a long combat blade found in Haukela. This is the area between Vestfold and Telemark in western Norway.

The Haukela discovery comes from the middle of the 8th century, i.e. the beginning of the Viking era. The Polish find is most likely the same age.

What is the Langsax or Long Seax?

 Blades are 50cm or longer and lengthy hilts like broad seaxes. The edge is typically straight or slightly curved towards the tip. These knives are thought to have been used from the 8th to the 10th centuries.

Cover photo: Mateusz Sosnowski

Related Articles

Habib-i Neccar Mosque, one of the first mosques in Anatolia, was destroyed in the earthquake

12 February 2023

12 February 2023

Antakya Habib-i Neccar Mosque, one of the first mosques built in Anatolia, was destroyed in the earthquake that killed tens...

The Big Universe Coming Out from the Dust “in Esna Temple”

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

While the Esna Temple has been waiting to renew and breathe again for a long time, it has recently experienced...

A cave in Argentina houses the oldest known pigment-based rock art in South America

15 February 2024

15 February 2024

An astounding collection of almost 900 rock paintings, dating back approximately 8,200 years, has been discovered in northwestern Argentina. The...

Sensational find in Ephesus: more than 1,400-year-old district discovered

29 October 2022

29 October 2022

During this year’s excavations at Ephesus in Turkey, archaeologists from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AW) discovered an incredibly well-preserved...

Oldest prayer beads made from salmon vertebrae found on England’s Holy island

28 June 2022

28 June 2022

On the island of Lindisfarne, just off the coast of Northumberland, known in England as the “Holy Island“, archaeologists have...

Evidence of Early Forms of Pottery Production and 8,000-Year-Old Buildings Belonging to the Elite of the Time Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

9 January 2025

9 January 2025

Archaeologists from the University of Udine have uncovered two ancient human settlements in the Rovia sub-district of Dohuk province in...

Archeologists Discover Two Sphinxes measure 26 feet in length in Egyptian Ruins

21 January 2022

21 January 2022

Archeologists have discovered the remains of two huge sphinx statues, each measuring 26 feet in length, at the funerary temple...

A 1,700-year-old trident discovered in Assos ancient city in Türkiye

10 October 2023

10 October 2023

An iron trident, believed to be used for fishing, dating to the 3rd or 4th century A.D. has been discovered...

Roman-era marble sundial found for the first time in Turkey’s second Ephesus

26 September 2022

26 September 2022

Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman-era marble sundial in the ancient city of Aizanoi in the Çavdarhisar district of Kütahya province...

Dingoes were regarded as “almost human” in pre-colonial Australia

21 October 2023

21 October 2023

When it comes to Australia’s wild dingoes, the phrase “a dog is a man’s best friend” takes on new meaning....

The Ramesseum’s ‘House of Life’ Reveals Ancient Egypt’s Educational Secrets!

6 April 2025

6 April 2025

A recent archaeological mission has unveiled groundbreaking findings at the Ramesseum, the grand mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II, located...

New study: Human brains preserve in diverse environments for at least 12 000 years

21 March 2024

21 March 2024

A study by forensic anthropologist Alexandra Morton-Hayward and her team from the University of Oxford has shown that the human...

Stone Age Swiss Army Knife? Experimental Archaeology Reveals Surprising Use of Bone Tools at Estonia Site

22 May 2025

22 May 2025

A groundbreaking new study published in February 2025 has revealed that mysterious bone tools discovered at Estonia’s oldest known human...

4000-year-old sword found in Finland

12 October 2021

12 October 2021

A Bronze Age sword dating back as far as 1700 B.C.was discovered broken in items in Finland this previous summer...

In Medieval burial ground, a rare embroidered Deisis depicting Jesus Christ was discovered

26 February 2023

26 February 2023

Russian archaeologists have uncovered a rare embroidered Deisis depicting Jesus Christ in a medieval burial ground. 46 graves have been...