Swords and Swordsmen

THE VERY FIRST SWORDS - At least the oldest found to date. This is an informative article about the 'arsenical copper alloy' (bronze) swords discovered at the Arslantepe Mound in Turkey. They date to between 3300 and 3000 BCE. That means they are 5,000 years old! The hilts look uncomfortably broad but it is hard to tell without being able to heft one. Otherwise they look extremely well designed for both cut and thrust. The blades are narrower than I would expect at such an early date; a great testament to the skill of the bladesmiths who cast them. These swords really are incredibly old.They recall the sort of blades we see from Mycenean culture (contemporary with the Trojan War) but they are around 2,000 years earlier. They are around 2,500 years older than when Homer was writing the Iliad.The geometric decorations remaining on the hilt suggest that these were high-status - as well as utility - weapons from the very beginning. ... See MoreSee Less

Recent Posts

Mike on Facebook

Take a look at my content on Substack