CT scan reveals 16th-century names. Sword – History Blog

A CT scan of a 16th-century sword in Jena, Germany, shows a name engraved on the blade but hidden by a thick layer of rust. The inscription reads “Clemes Stam”, which is the name of the Solingen swordsmith who made it.

The sword is one of four surviving swords in the crypt of the University Church of Jena, where faculty, students and their families were buried from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries. At the end of World War II, the church was destroyed by Allied bombs and four swords were recovered from the ruins.

For seven years, researchers at the University of Jena have been analyzing objects recovered from the university church. Archaeologist Enrico Paust suspected there might be an inscription, but there was no technology to penetrate the heavily corroded layer to see the interior of the blade, which is larger than typical specimens. He received help from the industrial research institution INNOVENT eV, which virtually broke through this barrier.

The “EasyTom 150-160 X-ray Micro-Nano CT” computed tomography scanner from the French manufacturer RX Solutions, available at INNOVENT from the end of 2022, represents a good compromise between sample size and resolution.

On the one hand, relatively large samples up to 70 cm in height can be measured; on the other hand, relatively high resolutions (voxel size <1 μm) are possible, which is necessary for inspecting circuits.

The rapier did fit into the sample chamber, raising hopes that the rapier could be “almost” “unhooked” from the corrosion layer and reveal the underlying inscription.

Scanning is able to peel away the encrustation layer by layer, first revealing the remnants of the sheathing on the blade. Under the sheath, imaging showed evidence that the blade was made by welding different types of steel together. The inscription is then inlaid into the blade steel, with individually crafted letters made from sheets of copper just 0.6 mm thick.

Similar weapons from the period 1580 to 1620 can be found in the German Sword Museum in Solingen. Weapons of this type could only be carried by members of the upper classes. The Solingen workshop provides exclusive weapons for European nobles and also creates weapons for the King of Spain. The Jena rapier stands out among inscribed weapons because of its exquisite inlay.

Such a rapier from Jena could only have belonged to a rector or student of high birth.