Researchers at Germany’s University of Jena (formally Friedrich Schiller University Jena) knew better, but needed a way to peer underneath more than 300 years of corrosion. In 2018, University of Jena researchers began a project focused on the institution’s earliest years, particularly the Collegiate Quarter’s graves. Additional scans of the exposed opposite side showed the exposed weapon’s elaborate inlay in red—as well the name “Clemes Stam.”Stam wasn’t the shortsword’s owner, however. Engraving the maker’s name served as a testament to the owner’s status, as well as the sword’s renowned origins. The team said the sword could only have belonged to either a rector, or a student from a noble family.