An iron sword deliberately bent as part of a pagan ritual has been discovered in a Roman soldier s grave in Greece, an archaeologist has revealed.
The deformed or folded sword was buried with an as yet unidentified soldier about 1,600 years ago in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.
His arch-shaped grave was found in the underground remains of a basilica – a large public building and place of worship – dating from the fifth century AD.
Along with the sword, the man was found buried with a spearhead and a shield-boss – the circular centre of a shield.
The sword (pictured) was deliberately bent in some form of pagan ritual, according to a Greek archaeologist