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Sword
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Basic Information | Accession Number: | 1956A390 |
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Collection: | Antiquities - Ancient Cyprus |
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Notes | This sword was found in a grave on the outskirts of Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus. It was made when Cyprus' rich deposits of copper were first being seriously exploited. Copper is quite a soft metal. Bronze is harder and makes better tools and weapons. Most bronze is made by adding a little bit of tin to the copper, but this sword contains a mixture of 96% copper and 4% arsenic. Although arsenic hardens copper just as well as tin, it gives off poisonous vapours when it is smelted, so ancient smiths soon stopped using it. | Presented by James Steward, 1956. |
Further Information | Reign: | 2700-2300 BC |
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Production Period: | Early Cypriot - Philia |
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Material(s): | Bronze |
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Place of Origin: | Ayia Paraskevi, Nicosia District, Cyprus |
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Place of Excavation: | Tomb 12 Ayia Paraskevi, Nicosia District, Cyprus |
Dimensions | Height: | 432 mm |
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