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Four excellently preserved Roman swords have been discovered in a cave in Israel overlooking the Dead Sea.

The weapons which are 1,900 years old, have iron blades that are 60-65cm long - which is about twice the length of a school ruler.

The swords were discovered still in their wooden holders, which are called sheaths or scabbards.

"It looked a bit like a pile of books. But - swords!" said archaeologist Oriya Amichay. "Sure, we know the story from history. But to see such a find is to look history in the face."

Roughly 2,000 years ago, people living in the area fought against the Roman Empire.

The war resulted in the destruction of towns and many people who lived there were forced to move to other places.

Archaeologists believe the swords were stolen - possibly from a battlefield - and hidden in the cave by Jewish rebels.

"This is a dramatic and exciting discovery, touching on a specific moment in time," Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said in a statement.

Mr Escusido said that the dry desert climate around the Dead Sea enabled the preservation of artefacts that would not survive elsewhere in Israel.

"This is a unique time capsule, whereby fragments of scrolls, coins from the Jewish Revolt, leather sandals, and now even swords in their scabbards, sharp as if they had only just been hidden away today."

Researchers had made it to the near-inaccessible cave to photograph an ancient inscription when they found the swords.

The three swords that were still in their wooden scabbards were identified as Roman spatha, or long swords.

The fourth, with a shorter blade was identified as a weapon known as a ring-pommel sword.

They had crafted handles made of wood or metal and leather strips with pieces of wood and metal belonging to them.