Sword Found to be Much Older than Previously Thought

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Category: Human Interest

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. beg to differ / bɛg tʊ ˈdɪf ər / (idiom) – to disagree with someone in a polite way
    Example:

    My friend thinks that the party was a disaster, but I beg to differ; I had so much fun!


  2. extensive / ɪkˈstɛn sɪv / (adj) – large in amount or scale
    Example:

    The restaurant has an extensive menu that includes a wide variety of dishes.


  3. forge / fɔrdʒ / (v) – to form something by heating and hammering
    Example:

    My grandfather taught me how to forge a blade.


  4. resemble / rɪˈzɛm bəl / (v) – to look like or be similar to something or someone
    Example:

    The house was designed to resemble a church.


  5. archival / ɑrˈkaɪ vəl / (adj) – relating to historical records
    Example:

    I’ve been visiting old museums as part of my archival research.


Article

Read the text below.

An archaeology student discovered that an ancient sword is older than previously thought.


Vittoria Dall’Armellina, who was a doctoral student at the time, saw the sword back in 2017 while visiting a monastery in Venice, Italy. The sword is 17 inches long and was thought to be from the Middle Ages. However, Dall’Armellina begged to differ. With her extensive knowledge about swords, she thought that the artifact was much older, so she conducted further research on the weapon.


After two years, Dall’Armellina confirmed that the artifact was made around 5,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest swords ever found. Scientific analysis showed that the sword was forged around 3,000 B.C. and is made of arsenical bronze, a combination of arsenic and copper. In addition, the sword’s shape resembles that of 5,000-year-old twin swords discovered at an archaeological site in Turkey. The weapon did not have any decorations, which suggests that it may have been used in combat.


Dall’Armellina and her professor, Elena Rova, worked alongside the monastery’s archival researcher to further look into the sword’s history. They found that the sword arrived in Italy from Turkey in 1886 as part of a donation from an art collector. After the monk who received the sword died, the monastery acquired it.


Rova noted that despite visiting the monastery several times before, she had never noticed the artifact. She was amazed at Dall’Armellina’s discovery and hopes that her former student continues doing research.


The monastery’s museum is currently closed, but upon reopening, the sword will be available for public viewing.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think it was necessary to confirm the age of the ancient sword? Why or why not?
• Aside from an artifact’s age, what important details should be verified (e.g. origin, cultural significance)? Discuss.

Discussion B

• Do you think it’s necessary to look into an ancient object’s history in this day and age? Why or why not?
• If you could look into the history of any ancient object, what would it be? Explain.