The sword, based in a Venice museum is believed to be approximately 5,000 years old, according to a new study. The unique ultra-rare sword was made created in 3,000BC and originated from eastern Turkey.
However, the sword was contained in a cabinet as part of a medieval collection.
The discovery was only made when an expert in ancient weaponry noticed the sword that it was removed for further analysis to confirm the date of its creation.
The sword could have been a ceremonial object or an offensive weapon used in battle.
Another theory suggests the sword was used in a burial and was casually retrieved by townsfolk before moving to a museum.
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Dr Vittoria Dall’Armellina at Università Ca’ Foscari in Venice saw the sword in a small cabinet surrounded by medieval items at Venice’s Mekhitarist Monastery.
Mekhitarist Monastery, which is the headquarters of the Armenian Catholic Mekhitarist Congregation, includes museums, a church, residential quarters, a library, museums, picture gallery, printing plant and research facilities.
The sword caught the eye of Dr Dall’Armellina, whose studies included the origin and evolution of swords in the Ancient Near East.
The expert realised the weapon she had spotted did not resemble a medieval artefact, but a much older sword, similar to those she had already encountered in her research.
The sword resembled those found in the Royal Palace of Arslantepe in modern-day eastern Turkey.
This would date the weapon to 5,000 years old, making the sword one of the oldest in the world.
But contrary to some Arslantepe specimens, the sword is not decorated, with no visible inscriptions, embellishments or distinctive features.
Strong resemblance to the twin swords of Arslantepe, as well as information about its metallic composition, help experts determine the sword dates to approximately the end of 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC.
Arslantepe swords are considered the oldest type of sword in the world.
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The Saint Lazarus Island sword is constructed of arsenical bronze, an alloy frequently used before the widespread diffusion of bronze.
Arsenical bronze uses copper and arsenic, as opposed to copper and tin or other constituent metals to make bronze.
This type of sword was found in a small region in Eastern Anatolia, between the high course of the Euphrat and the Southern shore of the Black Sea.
Further analysis of trace elements could further pinpoint the exact source of the metal.
Unfortunately, due to less than optimal conditions, it has not been possible to detect any traces of the sword’s use.
It is believed the sword travelled from Turkey to Venice in the second half of the 19th century.
This is due to an envelope containing a worn-out slip of paper associated with the sword.
The note on the paper, written in Armenian, talks about a donation to Father Ghevond Alishan, a famous poet and writer who died in Venice in 1901.
Ghevond Alishan, a friend of English art critic John Ruskin, was born in modern day Istanbul and travelled to Venice before his death.
Further studies are being done on the weapon, the history of which remains “shrouded with mystery”.
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