Finds like this are often a matter of luck. In this case, it was the luck of the moment: just as Shlomi Katzin dived last Thursday near the city of Caesarea, off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, waves caused the sand to swirl on the bottom. And there, four meters below the surface of the water, they made an ancient sword visible. It is completely overgrown with shells, but otherwise in excellent condition. Experts assume that it dates back to the Crusader period, so it could probably be around 900 years old. In 1095 Pope Urban II had called for the first “armed pilgrimage”. From then on, for about two centuries, Europeans tried to take the “Holy Land” under their control, ultimately unsuccessfully.