IN THE SUMMER OF 2003, a chance find was made in a dried-out part of the River Rhine near Bonn. It was subsequently acquired by the LVR-Landesmuseum Bonn in 2005. Work began in the conservation department, with the hope of substantiating the initial suspicion that this particular find could be a medieval sword. After having been successfully restored, the object was classified and dated by material analysis, as well as by defining typological characteristics and applying comparative studies of swords from different European collections. This article aims at demonstrating the interdisciplinary collaboration of restoration, natural science, archaeology and art history finally succeeded in fully understanding this find.

The summer of 2003 was the hottest on record for 250 years. As a result of the high temperature, large parts of the riverbed of the Rhine dried out and made usually waterlogged areas accessible. A resident taking a walk in Beuel, an urban district in the city of Bonn, came upon a chance find of a totally corroded sword-shaped object encrusted with sediments. After his attempt to remove these layers of sediment had proved unsuccessful, and thus been abandoned, he contacted the museum (fig. 1). Two years later, the museum acquired the object and started to restore and examine this chance find with the aim of historical classification.

INITIAL INFORMATION

While the outer shape of a sword was immediately evident, X-ray imaging revealed further information hidden under the encrusted sediments. Digital images as well as X-ray films were used to detect radiation. The images exhibited details which gave a deeper understanding of the construction of the blade, its massive pommel and a cross-shaped inlaid mark. Given the high absorption of X-ray energy, it was clear that these parts were made from a copper alloy or even a high-quality metal (fig. 2). Aside from technical details, the X-ray images revealed the heterogeneous condition of the blade's material. In direct proximity to one another were areas of metallic iron and areas which had been totally transformed by corrosion so that they were no longer detectable.

RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION

As finds are not just antiques, but rather archaeological sources, all restoration measures aim to restore and preserve them as well as reveal information for scientific investigations.