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Thames Sword
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Also called:
Thames Scamasax
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Thames Sword

English artifact
Also known as: Thames Scamasax
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History

Thames Sword, weapon inlaid with brass and silver wire and inscribed with runes, discovered in 1857 near London in the bed of the River Thames. Probably carved in the 8th or 9th century, the inscription contains one of the two earliest examples of complete Old English runic alphabets. The Thames Sword is housed in the British Museum.