A closer look
You really can't take it with you, especially if it's been actively sabotaged. Merovingian elites in post-Roman Gaul loved to flex their wealth by being buried with highly expensive weaponry, but archaeologists kept finding these premium iron swords intentionally bent or snapped in half. This wasn't grave-robbing vandalism; it was a deliberate ritual 'killing' of the object. By destroying the blade before throwing it in the dirt, the Franks were symbolically retiring the weapon alongside its master, ensuring no opportunistic rival could pull the legendary sword out of the ground to usurp their family’s brutal legacy.
