For decades, one of the oldest swords in the world lay undetected in a display case of the Armenian Mechitarist Monastery in Venice – now a researcher has revealed its true nature. Because the sword lying in the middle of medieval finds is already 5000 years old and comes from Anatolia. The weapon made of arsenic bronze could have been given to a warrior as an extra in the grave.
The oldest swords in the world originated in Asia Minor. In eastern Anatolia, people developed a metal processing technique around 5000 years ago, in which they mixed arsenic-containing ore with copper. This gave them the so-called arsenic bronze, a metal alloy that was harder and more durable than pure copper and was therefore also suitable for forging weapons. Arsenic bronze swords from this period, which were found during excavations in Arslantepe in Turkey, testify to their craftsmanship. To date, they are considered the oldest weapons of this type worldwide.
Discovery in the Armenian monastery
Now another sword from this early era of weapon production has emerged. Not in Arslantepe or Anatolia, as you would expect, but in Venice. The researcher Vittoria Dall’Armellina from the University of Venice discovered it when she visited the Museum of the Armenian Mechitarist Monastery on the Venetian island of San Lazaro. In a showcase with medieval finds, she noticed a small, inconspicuous sword made of dark, slightly greenish tarnished metal. The weapon has no striking decorations or attachments and is also rather small with a length of hardly more than 40 centimeters.
It was precisely these characteristics that made Dall’Armellina startled: Since she had been dealing with historical swords from Asia Minor and the Middle East for a long time, it quickly became clear to her that this weapon had to be of much older origin than the museum had assumed. In order to clarify the age and origin of the sword, the researcher and her colleagues subjected it to various chemical analyzes. It turned out that the weapon is made of arsenic bronze – the alloy that was already manufactured in Arslantepe. From appearance and metal, the scientists conclude that the sword must have been made in Anatolia in the late fourth to early third millennium BC. The weapon is therefore around 5000 years old and is therefore one of the oldest weapons of this type worldwide.
From Anatolia to Venice
But how did the sword come from Anatolia to Venice? Dall’Armellina and her colleagues suspect that the sword has been buried in the tomb of an Anatolian warrior for most of the past millennia. Because around 5000 years ago, people in that area began to provide their warrior elite with rich grave goods, including numerous weapons, as Dall’Armellina explains. So far it is not clear whether the dead man wielded the sword as a weapon during his lifetime or whether it was specially made for his burial as a ceremonial sword. The lack of decorations could, however, speak for practical use, as the archaeologists explain.
Probably erosion or construction work uncovered the tomb sometime in the early 19th century. Villagers could then have looted and maybe sold the grave goods, Dall’Armellina and her colleagues suspect. On the other hand, they know a little more about the further history of the old sword. Because a historical document shows that the weapon came to Venice from Asia Minor in the second half of the 19th century. Together with several other finds, the document lists the sword as a gift for the mechitarist monk and hobby archaeologist Ghevond Alishan. However, who was the original owner of this sword and exactly where it was forged remains for the time being hidden in the dark of history.
Source: Ca Foscari University of Venice