Descoberta na Espanha em 1994, a espada “Excalibur” pode ter origens islâmicas

Beneath an old house in Valencia’s historic centre, archaeologists stumbled upon an unexpected object: a sword driven into the earth.

Thirty years on, fresh testing has shown that the weapon-nicknamed the “Valencia Excalibur” because it was found embedded upright in the ground-is far more than an oddity. It has reopened discussion about the Muslim presence on the Iberian Peninsula and points to an unmistakably Islamic origin.

The Valencia Excalibur beneath the city: a past hidden just below the surface

The Valencia Excalibur was uncovered in 1994 during excavations in the oldest part of the city, inside a house built over successive layers of Roman, Visigothic and medieval occupation. The blade had been planted vertically in the soil, evoking the familiar image from the King Arthur legend. The nickname quickly stuck among the archaeologists on site.

The findspot lies close to the former Roman forum, an area that concentrated urban life during the Imperial period. In a city where each new building project opens small “windows” into deeply stratified ground, this particular opening produced a surprise: the sword emerged in relatively good condition, which caught specialists off guard.

The Valencia Excalibur has become a key piece for understanding how far Islamic culture shaped weapons, cities and warfare in medieval Spain.

Despite its distinctive nature, the artefact then spent decades in storage, recorded only partially and without a definitive attribution. That began to change when Valencia’s municipal archaeology service, SIAM, chose to re-examine material in its collections to mark its 75th anniversary-bringing the sword back into the spotlight.

From puzzle to laboratory: confirming an Islamic origin in Al-Andalus

The new study was led by archaeologist José Miguel Osuna. Using modern methods-including spectroscopy and a close metallurgical assessment-the team dated the piece to the 10th century. At that time, the region formed part of Al-Andalus, the extensive territory under Muslim rule across what is now Spain and Portugal.

The conclusions resolved long-running uncertainty: it was neither a later Christian weapon nor a re-used Roman blade. Instead, it was produced in an Islamic context during the Andalusi caliphal era.

The bronze guard, the blade’s form and the quality of the metal alloy together match arms associated with the Córdoba Caliphate.

A decorated guard fitted with bronze plates, combined with a gently curved blade, stood out immediately. Taken together with the forging style, these features align with other weapons linked to the Umayyad dynasty of Córdoba. In practical terms, this was the missing evidence needed to connect the “Valencia Excalibur” to an Islamic military tradition.

What the Valencia Excalibur looks like

The sword measures roughly 45 cm, placing it in the short-sword category-suitable both for close-quarters fighting and for use by mounted warriors.

Key characteristics

• Approximate total length: 45 cm
• Slightly curved blade, supporting cutting strikes delivered in motion
• Guard with bronze plates, both decorative and functional
• Design associated with Al-Andalus cavalry
• Unusually good preservation given Valencia’s acidic soils

The blade’s gentle curvature suggests a typical mounted use. Strikes delivered from horseback favour weapons that can cut and withdraw quickly without snagging in the target-an idea seen across cavalry traditions from the Islamic world to Central Asia.

One detail specialists have described as almost “miraculous” is the condition of the metal. Valencia’s soils are acidic and normally accelerate corrosion. Yet the sword survived well enough for close technical study, implying a protective microenvironment at the exact deposition point-perhaps linked to a buried structure that has since disappeared.

Comparison with other Al-Andalus weapons

According to SIAM, this is the first sword of this type identified in Valencia from the Islamic period. Only one close parallel is known: a specimen recovered at Medina Azahara, the palatine city built by Abd al-Rahman III near Córdoba.

Feature	Valencia Excalibur	Medina Azahara sword
Date	10th century	10th century
Political setting	Al-Andalus under caliphal rule	Córdoba Caliphate
Guard style	Ornamented bronze	Bronze with similar decoration
Likely use	Cavalry	Elite cavalry

This comparison strengthens the interpretation of the Valencia sword as the product of a sophisticated armoury-connected to political and military networks radiating from Córdoba and influencing the wider Peninsula.

Al-Andalus in focus: warfare, science and coexistence

Al-Andalus existed from 711 to 1492, covering large parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The territory began with the Muslim conquest and became more firmly established with the creation of an independent emirate in 756, led by Abd al-Rahman I. In time, that emirate developed into a caliphate, with Córdoba as its capital.

The region became a major centre of learning, where Muslims, Christians and Jews lived side by side. Physicians, philosophers and astronomers worked in dialogue with Greek and Eastern legacies. Figures such as Averroes and Maimonides left a lasting imprint on European philosophy and theology.

The same society that produced treatises on medicine and astronomy also developed weapons adapted to new forms of combat and military organisation.

The Valencia Excalibur fits naturally into this wider pattern of circulating skills and knowledge. Advanced metallurgy, a functional design and the urban setting of Valencia together point to a society shaped by intense exchange between workshops, cities and diverse ethno-religious communities.

Valencia as a Mediterranean crossroads

During its Islamic phase, Valencia used its Mediterranean coastline to operate as a corridor between the Maghreb, the Middle East and Christian Europe. Goods, enslaved people, ideas and technologies moved through its port and travelled inland along overland routes.

In that light, the sword reinforces the image of a well-connected city. Its type hints at links with models used elsewhere in the caliphate, potentially travelling with troops, merchants or political envoys.

Local cultural authorities have also highlighted how the object helps present Valencia not merely as a conquered town, but as a beacon of Islamic culture in a European setting-leaving long-term marks on architecture, urban planning and even language.

Terms and concepts that help explain the discovery

What Al-Andalus meant in practice

In current historiography, Al-Andalus is not treated simply as a “foreign occupation”, but as a complex reality in which populations and identities mixed. In many areas, local elites adopted Islam, while Christian and Jewish communities maintained their own practices under a range of negotiated arrangements.

As a tangible object from this prolonged encounter, the Valencia Excalibur could have been wielded by an Arab, Berber or Hispano-convert warrior-whether in internal struggles or in clashes with Christian kingdoms to the north.

How this sword might have been used in combat

In practical terms, a short, curved sword like this could have served in situations such as:

• rapid cavalry shocks against lightly protected infantry;
• ambushes and skirmishes in tighter terrain near walls;
• close combat in urban contexts during sieges and assaults.

Its compact size aids handling in confined spaces-something far less workable with very long swords. The curvature supports effective cutting on the move, increasing lethality against opponents with lighter protection.

Preserving and presenting a rare find (Valencia Excalibur and SIAM collections)

A further implication of the rediscovery is curatorial. Once items like the Valencia Excalibur are brought out of storage, they often require stabilisation and careful environmental control to prevent renewed corrosion-especially when an object has equilibrated for centuries in damp, chemically active ground. For SIAM, the sword is not only a research specimen but also a candidate for future display that must balance public access with long-term conservation.

It also underlines the value of revisiting legacy collections. As analytical tools improve and comparative datasets expand, objects that once seemed difficult to classify can become central pieces of evidence-exactly what happened when SIAM re-opened its catalogues as part of its 75th-anniversary review.

Present-day impact: from academic debate to cultural tourism

An artefact like the Valencia Excalibur can shape everything from university arguments about the local chronology of Islamisation to museum planning and heritage trails. Simplified stories that once set “Christian Spain” against “Muslim invaders” lose credibility when objects demonstrate how deep-and how urban-the Islamic presence was.

For a wider audience, the combination of an Arthurian nickname and a confirmed Islamic origin is inherently compelling. Exhibitions, guided walks and educational programmes can use that tension as a starting point to discuss myths, identity and the historical layers that still lie beneath the streets of many European cities.