Author: P. Molnar, Word Count: 725
Featured in Spooky Archaeological Story Moot: Live Stream – 2025
Email Correspondence between director of a regional museum and a local lady…
28 September
“Dear Ms. Varga,
I’ve decided to update you on what’s new regarding the hoard found in your garden earlier this
week. I’d like to once again thank you for reporting the find to our regional museum, and for your
patience. I sincerely hope we haven’t inconvenienced the ongoing plumbing reconstruction at your
property.
We’re now commencing our analysis on the contents of the hoard. Both the lid-covered ceramic pot
filled with period coins, and the heavily corroded sword found inside the mostly decomposed cloth
bag, buried next to the pot. As our recovery team from the museum had already mentioned to you a
few days ago, the finds look roughly 16th century, maybe late 15th century.
If I’m to be honest, that one-handed sword has us puzzled. Finds of coin hoards in ceramic pots are
rather common throughout the country, especially from the late-medieval and early modern eras,
but a sword buried next to one of them is a novelty.
A. Novisedlak,
director”
“Thank you. I’ll be waiting for additional updates about your research with great interest.
D. Varga”
–
16 October
“Hello Ms. Varga,
We’ve subjected the coins found in the hoard to close and detailed analysis. Most of the coins
originate from the Kingdom of Hungary and other central European states, predominantly in the
second half of the 15th century and first half of the 16th century. Rather well-preserved.
Surprisingly, with the exception of one counterfeit specimen, all of the coins are genuine, officially
minted coinage. It seems this is a classic case of someone hiding the coins as a secret cache, during
the first decades of the Ottoman invasions into southern Slovakia.
As for the sword, it’s a late 1400s, early 1500s piece. Possibly already a few decades old when
buried in the cloth bag. In the weeks ahead, we’d like to subject it to deeper chemical analysis. I
know you’re the co-founder of the first HEMA club in your district town, so if you’re interested, me
and my colleagues can certainly inform you about our findings concerning the sword.
Novisedlak”
“Thanks for the update. Fascinating! I’m definitely looking forward to the sword analysis as well!
Varga”
–
31 October
“Dear Ms. Varga,
In the past two weeks, we’ve run several tests and analyses on the sword as well. It’s five hundred
years old, at the very least. The spectroscopic analysis of the weapon has largely yielded the results
we were expecting, results typical for corroded metal items from archaeological digs. However,
we’ve also stumbled upon some odd findings relating to the details and dents of this sword, and its
chemical composition: At some point in the early 16th century, it seems to have been struck by a
strong electric current of some sort. Given the era this occurred in, we’re certain this had to be a
powerful lightning strike. You have to wonder how the sword could get struck by lightning. A
riddle for the ages?
One more thing. I fear this might be a somewhat personal observation, but one of my colleagues
noted yesterday, that while he was at your house, he saw you putting away a replica sword, very
reminiscent in design to the sword found in the hoard. I told him he’s likely misremembering. Still,
quite an interesting coincidence. Would you like to read up on some of the data from the sword
analysis?”
–
She finished reading the latest e-mail.
She closed the browser, turned off the Wi-Fi, put away her laptop.
Sitting in her car, ready to go shopping, she put the keys in the ignition and started the engine.
She sighed. “Oh, well… Time to move away again. Soon.”
As she was driving past a smaller square, in front of a local Protestant church, she noticed a crowd
of people assembled for the rememberance day. October the 31st, Reformation Day.
A little smirk appeared on her face.
She still remembered when the Reformation first started spreading in the kingdom. The changes it
brought to the land, along with the harsh and chaotic years after the defeat of the armies at Mohács,
the ensuing Ottoman invasions… and the power struggle between the Habsburgs and House
Zápolya.
To her, it genuinely felt like yesterday.
She put a USB stick in the car’s audio player, selected a song by a certain rock band.
“Heeere we are…”, began the song.
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