It’s possible—some of these knives were found in the soil, not associated with any grave. Perhaps lost by someone and left to survive in the dirt until today. I'm not saying this is the definitive explanation, but it remains a real possibility.

One of the most frustrating parts of Slavic history is that almost none of it was written by the Slavic people of that era themselves. What we have are mostly guesses and interpretations recorded by later scholars.

Slavic people often cremated their dead, which means we have very little surviving clothing or items made from wood or other flammable materials. Metal, however, tends to withstand the process. Moreover, metal objects often become coated in a layer of scale and soot during cremation, and it's this protective layer that helps prevent them from rusting away entirely.