Could rare sword have belonged to Ivan the Terrible?

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'Every man in our expedition longed to take it and hold it his hands, it was an incredible piece of armament'. Pictures: The Siberian Times

Swords such as these were not typical in Russia or across Asia, and it was more similar to those widely used by European knights. After extensive research on ancient weapons, Vyacheslav Molodin prepared a report on his findings and concluded it was from Europe and dated to the late 12th or early 13th century.

Questions as to how the sword reached Russia from Sweden have been asked since 1976, with the first theory that it was carried during trade missions.

According to Arab historians, in the middle of the 12th century there was an ancient northern path through Russia to the River Ob, called the 'Zyryanskaya road' or 'Russky tes'. Over the centuries archaeologists have found a treasure trove of coins, silver vessels and medieval jewellery in the Urals and lower reaches of the Ob, having travelled from the west.

The downside to this theory is that the steppe, where the sword was found, is separated from the lower and middle Ob by hundreds of kilometres of rugged forests and swamps. Others have argued the weapon could easily have travelled east as a result of bartering, or as a spoil of war from skirmishes between the Turkic people of the steppe and the nomadic Urgic population of the Siberian taiga.

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http://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/features/f0013-could-rare-sword-have-belonged-to-ivan-the-terrible/

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The hilt is of a type that is associated with the eastern baltic region. Several such sword have been found in Finland and the Baltic states. The iron grip is particular for these swords. It is not unusual that these hilts are adorned with silver overlay with zoomorphic decoration in niello.

The blade likely originates in central europe: both form and inlayed letters suggest this.

As to dating, it belongs to the late viking period (late 10th or 11th century?). The sword was lost by its user several centuries before the reign of Ivan the Terrible. -If that blade could talk! We would surely listen to a tale that would be both fantastic and cruel.
-A wonderful find! I would love to learn more about it.
Peter Johnsson, Storvreta, Sweden
22/11/2014 19:32
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The hilt is of a type that is associated with the eastern baltic region. Several such sword have been found in Finland and the Baltic states. The iron grip is particular for these swords. It is not unusual that these hilts are adorned with silver overlay with zoomorphic decoration in niello.
The blade likely originates in central europe: both form and inlayed letters suggest this.
-A wonderful find! I would love to learn more about it.
Peter Johnsson, Storvreta, Sweden
22/11/2014 16:05
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Possibly from the Rus' culture which suffered so under the Golden Hoard in the 13th century.

e 13th century.
Myron Bergenske, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, USA
22/11/2014 03:30
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Is the sword from the Rus' culture which suffered so under the Golden Hoard?
Myron Bergenske, Mineral Point, Wisconsin, USA
22/11/2014 03:18
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Those knights were looking for the Holy Grial....probably they arrived to the lands of Tocharians, whites living in Western China as the Tarim Basin Mummies have proven.

Himler and Schafer failed for some miles: the cradle of Indo-European civilisation was not in Tibet but in Western Siberia.
Enrique, Spain
22/11/2014 02:44
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a nice sword, seems to be quite old and, it would be nice to hear the history of this item.
john, finland
21/11/2014 22:42
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