Student discovers 5,000-year-old sword hidden in Venetian monastery

This young lady was paying attention and is now credited with finding one of the oldest swords on record.

A keen-eyed archaeology student made the find of a lifetime when she spotted one of the oldest swords on record, mistakenly grouped with medieval artifacts in a secluded Italian museum.
The ancient sword was thought to be medieval in origin and maybe a few hundred years old at most — but studies have shown that it dates back about 5,000 years, to what is now eastern Turkey, where swords are thought to have been invented, in the early Bronze Age.

I am not so sure I agree that Turkey should be credited with the invention of the sword. They are the oldest we have found to this point, but I think it's a bit premature to say they invented them.

Research into the monastery's archives by Father Serafino Jamourlian revealed that the sword had been sent in a donation of gifts from an Armenian art collector named Yervant Khorasandjian, to a monk named Ghevond Alishan, known as Father Leonzio, about 150 years ago. Alishan was a famous poet and writer who was a friend of the famed English art critic John Ruskin; Alishan died in 1901, and his belongings passed on to his monastery.

The whole article is of interest, but the above quote stands out to me because the sword was in a private collection. I certainly understand the desire to possess unique or one of a kind artifacts, but I often wonder what treasures are tucked away somewhere in an individual collection that could increase our knowledge and understanding of our history as a species. It's almost criminal in my mind to obscure a piece of the puzzle to our past even if the motivation is not born of conspiracy, but rather profit or personal gain. Just my opinion.

A close-up of the sword made of arsenical copper.

A better view of the actual size of the sword. It's relatively small making me think it was made more for status than actual use.

Another interesting find and small piece of our puzzle added to the overrall picture.
Link

a reply to: Klassified

Nice find. I agree that they shouldn't jump to it was made here if it's that old. Thanks for bringing some good out.

Kocag

a reply to: Klassified

Why do you think they labeled it "a sword"? It looks like a parrying dagger.

Atlantean weapon perhaps?

originally posted by: Cigarettes
a reply to: Klassified

Why do you think they labeled it "a sword"? It looks like a parrying dagger.

True, we would call it a knife or a dagger, but it is classified as a sword.

originally posted by: Nickn3
Atlantean weapon perhaps?

Not old enough if Plato was correct.

I wonder if it ever killed anyone.
Certainly looks capable.

originally posted by: Cigarettes
a reply to: Klassified

Why do you think they labeled it "a sword"? It looks like a parrying dagger.

This was my first thought

I'm going to guess worlds oldest dagger just didnt have the same ring

originally posted by: Cigarettes
a reply to: Klassified

Why do you think they labeled it "a sword"? It looks like a parrying dagger.

I was thinking letter opener, but I guess dagger fits.

Nice.

Turkey, Bulgaria.... the sword will have been invented somewhere around there no doubt. Despite under promotion the area has some of the oldest examples of historical artifacts in the world.

I vote for "sword". If you were standing close enough, it would impale the person completely, right? Daggers not so much

edit: reviewing the OP again, I'd say it's a big dagger, or a small sword.

Just because they found an ancient sword in Turkey does not mean it was made there. Someone anywhere in history could have moved it there. It could have been an old sword of someone who moved there from another area took with them. Then it got buried with them, or buried to hide it from people who would steal from them. Many people buried their money and valuables in Apple orchards around here, or buried in their houses crawlspace. Some put valuables into natural caves and sealed them with rocks to hide them. Other people lock their doors and put the key under something on the porch in case they lose their key.

People die without telling others where they hid things. I have known people who buried their valuables when they used to leave their house doors locked years ago.

a reply to: rickymouse
True. Archaeologists have made some assumptions, but at the moment, Turkey is the only place we are finding swords of this type. So there it is at least reasonable to think they might have been made there, although it is not a given.

Surely its a dirk

C==(========>

If its owner/user could jam it into the chest of an opponent and have the tip exit the oponnent's back, what's the difference what it is called?

a reply to: Klassified

It looks much like a roman gladiator sword.

People were quite a bit smaller then and it's very difficult to make a durable sword with 2500bc methods and materials.

It belongs.... IN A MUSEUM!

originally posted by: IlluminatiTechnician
a reply to: Klassified

It looks much like a roman gladiator sword.

Actually, it's the other way around. The Roman sword looks a bit like the Turkish sword, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering the history.

a reply to: Klassified

What a wonderful find!