The oldest STEEL sword in the world, Vered Jericho sword of Ancient Israel RECONSTRUCTED
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- čas přidán 27. 07. 2024
- FOLLOW-UP VIDEO: • Is the Vered Jericho S...
Historically, steel is the best material to make a sword out of but what is the oldest archaeological steel sword we have on record that started it all, where does it come from, how was it made, and what does it look like?
I present to you the Vered Jericho Sword, an Israelite sword dating from 600BC on display at Jerusalem's Israel Museum
High detail image of the Vered Jericho Sword: shad-brooks.deviantart.com/ar...
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Medieval review, Historia - The Swords of Arslantepe: • Historia - The Swords ...
REFERENCES
When making this video I was unable to find out which parts were forged welded together and which of those parts were iron compared to steel but that’s the great thing about the internet and this awesome community because another viewer has just linked this excerpt from the Israel Museum Journal of 1992 where it outlines the different components.
Microradiographic x-ray examination and photography of the sword indicate that the hilt, ridge, and the blade were prepared separately and then forged together by hammering. Metallurgical analysis of a sample taken from the blade proves that it was made of mild steel, and that the iron was deliberately hardened into steel, attesting to the technical knowledge of the blacksmith.
books.google.com.au/books?id=...
Broxmouth crucible steel: archaeologynewsnetwork.blogsp...
Kaman-Kalehöyük multi-period archaeological site: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaman-K...
Vered Jericho sword: Museum plaque, Jerusalem’s Israel Museum, Iron Age Gallery
Its amazing to think that when this sword was made Alexander the Great wouldn't be born for over 200 years and Rome was just a small country town that even most Italians probably hadn't even heard of. I am simply enamored by this sword and the people who created it.
And the greeks were beginning to grow their poleis.
Were civilised inother words.
Yea Gods chosen people were quite blessed.
Just imagen to be that blacksmith who made that sword. Would you have thought that thousands of years later people would talk, look and even touch your work? Maybe even recreate it?
Like 'Mario Bros 1'
Yes, Calas. Men are just that arrogant. You bet they would.
@@richardbonnette490 Excuse me? What does gender have to do with this? Also its not proven that a man made it.
@@grimbite5625 Hi. Why did you take offense at this comment? You clearly did not read it correctly, so why bother taking offense? Why not instead offer some general corrections as to why you don't like it? Isn't that more constructive, sir? Or are you not angry at all, just inquisitive to a fault? This is still a topic which you have little knowledge over and at which your guess is about as good as mine, so what could some misunderstanding possibly make worse? (I'm a little amused here and a little bored by your "brilliant" question you somehow inferred from my comment, so you are free to ignore this comment if you're uninterested - because I am.)
You claim that it's not proven that a man made the sword of Jericho. That may be a natural supposition (after all, we can't directly prove it), but it is highly unlikely that anyone else could have made it in the first place, you know. You seem to forget (or, for the sake of argument, are simply temporarily ignoring) the fact that men and women are best suited for different purposes. Men have always taken the time to be blacksmiths, the toolmaker, the builder. They like to show off strength and power and will just as much as they like to care and provide for their families, not so much the agility or charm or skillful work of art that a women would prefer to have, nor for the preference that women have to be compromisers and not the instigators for wars. I don't need to call a psychotherapist into the discussion for you to get the point I am making: that men and women are clearly different, and that men would far more likely have perfected the art of blacksmithing over any women of that city, of that time frame, of that part of the world. It is so much easier for them to sweat in front of a shop, than for women, who, quite simply, don't need want to unless if they need to (and the same COULD be said for men, except that blacksmithing is something of a hobby, as well as an occupation - however hazardous it might be). It is not at all common that women were blacksmiths, least of all for an important work of art like the sword of Jericho. For an impressive work of art like the sword of Jericho which was designed to last for so long, it is highly unlikely that a woman would be both be reputable enough in that city and who would spend time, money, and patience into such a destructive work of art -- even so much that it could possibly be preserved. A man would far more prefer to build this weapon weapon of destructive -- the best weapons of that time. In fact, it is also possible that this weapon was constructed by a group of blacksmiths - each person given a specific task or duty to complete in order to forge the weapon. But it is unlikely that a woman would care to take part in this formation. It's hard work and there are other important tasks that a kingdom requires in order to run - like gardening. :-)
That is not an irrational conclusion, is it not? If you have ever watched blacksmithing, you will quite honestly recognize that it is hard work, and that women are unlikely to enjoy this sort of labor. No, it doesn't take out the possibility that a woman could have made it. It is just highly unlikely for that to have occurred, almost entirely impossible in the circumstances, the society, and the history of that location for that to have occurred; it would be scientifically and logically ruled out of observational practices (I try to make the speculation scientifically based whenever possible, but here, it should have been obvious), simply because it makes little sense for a fine piece of destructive art to be made by a woman of that time and culture.
I am more concerned that you misread my definition of "man" than anything else. That should be a mark of literary refinement when one can clearly see what style of speaking one is using in an argument. But we are talking about ancient things: do you not think I won't be philosophical and traditional at the same time? Don't you remember that the traditional meaning for man refers to all of humanity? I meant it to be a partial-poetical ambiguity; but I guess that it's irrelevant since I already explained it to you (more or less) and now you can stop thinking of all the things surrounding this awesome sword, the history of the time, and the society of that day, and just get on with your life. I am not a man willing to change the original sense of any word because some foolish adolescents coined a funny term and thought that anything else was offensive. I read the ancient literature and the original languages. They have meaning. So does traditional English, and it's not about to go away because some people are confused over its meaning. If you can't divine one's meaning, you shouldn't start by taking offense at it. This is why most people are name-calling on the internet: because they are offended that someone else is getting offended at their comments, which they believed were so awesome! This is the arrogance of men - what I was referring to, that man are fully aware of what they make, how they make, and what they believe people ought to think of it in future years. And yes, I am still part of this - because I wasn't trying to be insulting. I was referring to human nature. Whether we recognize this arrogance and humbly -- or humorously -- remember our works and arts; or whether we take further offense at it and what people might think of them -- that is not really my concern. Not right now, at least. And it shouldn't really be your concern, either; since if less people took offense at things they do not completely understand, there might be better, more logical, and kind debates online in this internet-world of ours.
Have I sufficiently satisfied your curiosity, now?
If so, then I wish to end this:
"Pax Domini tecum sit."
- May the peace of the Lord be with you.
@@richardbonnette490 Jesus what a block of text you could have just said 'i mean man as in human'. Having said that, my original thought was that this was some feminist bullshit since it is very prominent on youtube. Listen, mate, you can read as many books and shit as you want, it doesn't mean anyone else will get your meaning of a word. The way you said your first statement was really easy to misinterpret. I do agree with your statement though 'Humans' are arrogant and do think that they are the masters of their own little world.
Also, I guess Pax Domini tecum sit.
You had a crocodile hunter moment "look at the size of this thing!"
Thanks shad!!! Love your videos
Soize!
I thinking more Luke Skywalker
@@jonathanswavely7259 "Cut the chatter Red 2!"
Crocodile Dundee, not Crocodile Hunter.
I've seen theories that Damascus steel was actually due to the qualities of an existing iron deposit and manufacture stopped when the supply was exhausted.
If enough of us post on the most recent Man At Arms Reforged Episode, I am sure we can get them to reforge the sword.
John Lemus rip
@@haroldbalzac6336 rip
As an israeli, a sword nerd and a history nerd - i thank you for this vid. Gave me a super cool idea for writing.
The Vered Jericho Sword, an elegant weapon, from a more civilized age.
Nodding to the reference, but... we're not as civilized as an age that endorsed slavery, rape as a war tactic, and genocide?
Well, since the our age has had all of those things(genocide and rape as a tactic of warfare, slavery, etc) in an incomprehensively higher abundance, who can say?
@@NieroshaiTheSable the late bronze age was a golden age. But it all ended when the water people attacked.
Lol genocide is a modern phenomenon, & historians make note of the huge difference between new world slavery & old world slavery.
Daniel Rincon just because genocide still happens doesn’t mean everyone endorses it.
UPDATE - Follow-up video: czcams.com/video/LTC2gtB9gWU/video.html&t
When making this video I was unable to find out which parts of the sword were forged welded together and which of those parts were iron compared to steel but that’s the great thing about the internet and this awesome community because another viewer has just linked this excerpt from the Israel Museum Journal of 1992 where it outlines the different components:
Microradiographic x-ray examination and photography of the sword indicate that the hilt, ridge, and the blade were prepared separately and then forged together by hammering. Metallurgical analysis of a sample taken from the blade proves that it was made of mild steel, and that the iron was deliberately hardened into steel, attesting to the technical knowledge of the blacksmith.
books.google.com.au/books?id=WJdaAAAAIAAJ&q=Vered+Jericho&redir_esc=y
Forging a blade and tang from iron and mild steel then forge wielding it together that is neat .....so iam guessing they was trying to keep more wight to the handle and hilt by using iron
Hi Shad,
Nice model, I like it a lot.
Would you be able to share your 3D file? I'd be interested in the native format of whatever program you used for this and a .stl or .obj file of the steel and wooden parts (seperate if possible). If time allows I'd like to throw it on my 3D printer and make a replica of this :)
Kind regards,
Jakob
I love this history stuff on your channel.
What of Tungsten? or Tungsten-Titanium Alloy? I would think that these advanced alloys would make a durable and effective sword, perhaps even a superior sword.
What do you think about chainswords from warhammer 40k? :)
I would like to offer relevant experience in metallurgy and knowledge gathered in the search of bettering my art. First of all, i think you're underestimating the ease of accidentally making steel. Iron doesn't like being pure in nature and iron with various impurities including carbon is a byproduct of iron smelting. From the invention of the bloomery furnace man made steel existed. When iron is smelted in such a furnace, higher carbon low density iron tends to float toward the top. Thus, the top of the "bloom" will be made up of cast iron with the highest soluble carbon content that molten iron can handle roughly 6%. This is wonderful for then casting this iron because it lowers the melting point of the iron to make it easier to melt in a crucible in a rudimentary furnace and pour into molds. This is why we call iron with such a high melting point "cast iron" also, cast iron is near impossible to forge. I've hit some cast iron at forging temperature with a hammer and I can attest that it just falls apart like trying to hammer a wheel of cheese. The bottom of the bloom will be made up of nearly pure iron which can be forged wonderfully and the self fluxing slag inclusions at this level make it easy to weld to itself but has a melting point which is very difficult to reach outside a smelting furnace which gives rise to the material called "wrought iron". Where these two meet you can find various qualities of steel. This is a simplification but it gives the general idea. I've accidentally made steel myself when casting iron and I'm 100% confident people have been making steel for as long as iron has been smelted. You mentioned the carburization of the surface also which can happen accidentally but my uninformed guess is that often historically this was done intentionally as it's bad form to leave your metal in a forge long enough to allow it to carburize.
As far as historical examples of steel /swords/ specifically I found a couple things when I was researching traditional gladius construction which you may find interesting. There's a greek kopis from 7th century bc Vetulonia which was forged from five different blooms of steel with different carbon content. And it seems swords continued to be constructed as such in rome as I've seen analysis of different roman swords with similar construction. It is interesting to note however that many roman swords had the higher carbon steel down the spine of the blade for stiffness rather than at the edge. Also I don't have a specific example off the top of my head but I believe roman swords and knives had intentionally carburized edges since 500 BC. I would guess they tested the blooms similar to the way traditional japanese swordsmiths do and hammered them to see how easily they would crack.
Awesome stuff, I would love to have some references for the Vetulonian Kopis, I might even make a video on it if I could get enough information.
Shad, I would watch that video!
Whoever had this sword back in those times was probably an important figure, or was an elite soldier that knew a very skilled smith for the time period. That's one sick blade!
It kind of has a Celtic flare mixed with all sorts of older blade designs (as well as future ones). The ridge reminds me of some Greek and Egyptian blades (iron and bronze swords), and the tip and length is arming sword-like. Very cool.
Next on Forged In Fire , our two finalists forge ........ The Vered Jericho Sword ! Doug Marcaida does the cutting tests by decapitating a simulated Goliath !
Victor Waddell And if that fails, bring in a kid named David.
Doug: "This sling, will kill."
The HackingBurger I Love It ! Announcer : "Our first contestant is a shepherd named Dave . He has never forged a knife . What is your plan , Dave ? " David : " I grew up watching over my father's flock , playing my harp , and slinging stones at the wolves and bears that tried to eat my dad's sheep . So I'll do that " Announcer : " Don't you think you'll need a sword to defeat a Philistine Giant ? " David : " I'll use his ." (Points to Goliath)
Victor Waddell Haha! Great!
And then one of the previous champions named Saul will be like, "Here, this sword is my best work. Doug liked it last time."
David: "Nah, I got it!
@@thehackingburger3002 & @Victor Waddell - you're both awesome! Love this!
Shad, you should look into having a recreation of this sword forged for your collection. It seems like the logical step after going through the process of digitally recreating the sword. You could then do a follow-up video demonstrating to us how it handles, how it feels, how it compares to other types of sword designs.
The process of smelting iron makes steel impossible to avoid making. Thus it is really NOT surprising that you would find steel objects all the way back to the beginning of the iron age. Essentially steel was very difficult to forge so for a long time was an undesirable byproduct of making iron. It would take a very persistent smith with lots of time on his hands to forge a large sword out of this hard unyielding metal.
This particular sword smith, may have innovated his tool kit, to include heavy primitive water powered hammers.
"a sword that is better at being a sword, is a better sword." Well said! lol
Indubitably!
The sword's name is Vered Jericho.
In Hebrew, Vered means Rose (Rose of Jericho). Just thought I'd point that out.
Beautiful design! It's amazing to see what we could do with steel so long ago...
If I ever get a chance to go there (the museum), I'll make sure to take a few photos and send them to you!
Thank you, Valeri! I was wondering where the name originated from!
The Swords name actually comes from where it was found, near the community of רֶד יְרִיחוֹ (roughly, Vered Yeriho) on the West Bank
I've found my new favorite ancient sword design.
I wonder if the design was simply copied from a bronze sword. So a blacksmith finds out his new forging technique or raw ore (with high carbon levels) is harder and can be used to replace bronze in longer weapons and makes a bronze sword design out of this new material.
Edit: I case this sounds weird, watch some other of Shadiversity's videos. Bronze was in the early iron age still technically better than iron, with its main drawback of tin and copper being much more expensive than iron. So there was likely a period were short swords could be made of out cheap but soft low-carbon or random-carbon steel (what Shad here calls iron), but longer swords required bronze.
Shad, mate, this is a beautiful video. Perhaps one of your best. Cheers on the shout out. Sorry I am just now getting around to watching this.
I'm truly honored you like it mate, thank you. This is definitely one of my favorite videos ^_^
It even looks like the dead granddad of steel swords.
I'm honestly amazed I've never heard of this. It's an amazing sword and thank you shad for doing the work to show us these kinds of things. I don't think most people appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into researching something like this👍 amazing video, keep it up man
Thank you so much for noticing mate as it did take a lot of research, but that you truly appreciate it makes it all worthwhile ^_^
Infinity Armory Shit sword... You can't end them rightly. What's the point in a sword if you can't end your opponent rightly!!
@@supernoodles908 Not dying would be a good argument 😛 Seriously, though - while a sword is offensive, it's also defensive. You not only want to stick them with the pointy end, but also to have the faith that your sword will not be shorn off at the first attack and can - in fact, protect you from your opponent's down thrust among other things. Victory does not always have to equate death, and sometimes just possessing something of high quality and craftsmanship is a victory in its own right.
A reason I can think of why, since steel production was capable back in 600 BCE but we didn't see steel items in mass until the medieval period could be a simple matter of cost. Before electrolysis made the mass production of aluminum even possible, the metal was considered to be more expensive than gold or platinum due to the difficulty of refinement. A similar case can be made for steel; there were likely very few smiths that could make proper steel thanks to great skill and equipment, and possessing both meant a lot of time and money was required to get them to make simple jewelery, let alone a sword. This does mean that the Vered Jericho sword is likely to be the sword of an incredibly wealthy individual, or even of a king's personal weapon.
Solomon's maybe? Can't remember his timeframe.
@Blacktimus Prime Ah ok then.
@@A_Black_Sheep94 Solomon is historically doubtable; have we found any evidence outside of a story that may have been in the oral tradition for thousands of years? It's like suggesting that something belonged to Achilles.
@@tompatterson1548 Yea we have found something of Solomon actually, it's called the fucking temple of Solomon built by Solomon.
Someone should really completely recreate the Vared Jericho sword. It sounds so badass and the design looks like it could be pretty useful.
Sure swords are awesome, BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS??
whats a dtagon?
Do you remember Smaug saying "my teeth are swords"?
There you have dragons and swords.
who is smaug
Benjamin Buljevic Please tell me you know who Smaug is...he is the Dragon from The Hobbit...
:Lol
Shad, you've solved the Riddle of Steel. Crom will be pleased!
Crom laughs at your four winds.
Israel then: lets create a sword with a better material.
Israel now: lets create a laser that explodes incoming missiles before they reach the ground.
You, metaron and skalagrim have such good outro music
dont forget about lindybeige :D
VERY cool video, Shad.
I find it interesting just how sophisticated this sword is. That level of sophistication tells me it wasn't a first attempt. This may be the oldest we've found, but I bet this guy was messing around with steel for at least ten or so years before he got something this well made. So cool to think about this guy tinkering and working until he worked out this beautiful sword.
I love learning about early biblical israel! So intresting stuff.
@Milky J You're very dumb.
Disregarding judaic and Christian culture and praising paganism is so mainstream. The comment just proves the point. Everyone is so dazzled about the fertility rituals, tattoos, etc etc etc. (Properly ofc). But try praising archaic Jews. You talk as if every other culture didn't go to war and tried to wipe totally it's even less enemies
Europe was stone age before Chrisianity arrived. The dark ages came when the catholic church (not bibically Christian) took God's word grom the population. After the protestant reformation, society returned to Christ and the Renaissance followed. Seeing the truth yet? Jesus is Lord, repent surrender and be born again today! Best decision I ever made.
@@djabroni_brochacho4644I'm Protestant but denying the Catholic influence on science is just dilusional. They are the father's of the scientific method and the belief in objective truth. Not to mention the contribution of Agostin and Thomaz de Aquino
I grew up catholic before I got saved. I'm not saying they never contributed anything, I mean they ruled europe for 1000 plus years. But civilization would have been better off being saved by grace through faith and practicing biblical Christianity as opposed to an overall opressive organized religious society.
It's so much fun to watch Shad just geek out over things that he adores. It's like watching a puppy! I'm really happy this video was made. I know what the worlds oldest steel sword is now! How cool is that!
The earliest steel objects came from meteorites. King Tutankhamen has a steel dagger made from meteorite and that goes back to 1325BC. Star metal they called it.
Like swords? Nah, I like big knives. What's the difference, you may ask?
I ain't gon' tell you, fool.
The pommel?
I always thought the world established in Robert E. Howard's Conan stories was odd because there are steel weapons, but I suppose it's not that odd after learning about this
In a conversation I said "But what about dragons" about 5 times, and the person thought it was a genuine question. To be fair, it was about DnD, but still.
It's always a genuine question, no matter the context! Political debate about taxes? BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?
Nothing. To be fair, we should totally try and recruit dragons. Imagine the possibilities.
"BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS" is an invalid response?
BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS??
Stuff like this just shows what they was able to do back then they was more skilled in things that people are willing to give them credit for
Totally, stuff like this amazes me.
cvbpo There must be so much technologies and ancient wisdom that we simply don't and never will know about.
Conne true and the sad part is when we find stuff that we can not explaine they just put it off as something else or it just cant be....hell how about all the scrolls and book that has been burnt in the past whole libraries
cvbpo Humans are incredible things!
I'm Israeli and I wasn't aware of this sword's existence... That is a really cool fact!!!
nir ainbinder what's Israel like? Is it a nice place to live? It sounds like a (more) civilized middle eastern country
Zayan Watchel Much like living Mediterranean Europe, with Middle Eastern influences. Places like Tel Aviv feel like most large Western cities.
@@zayanwatchel8780 Only civilized middle eastern county.
@@zayanwatchel8780 Israel-America's whore
Heres an idea for a product you could sell.
*A pommel.* now you probably are thinking "what about dragons?" Easy answer. *A pommel shaped like a dragon*
Maybe think about it :D
Interesting find. I've done some papers on ancient near Eastern warfare and technological advancements for my Opd Testament PhD and I hadn't seen anything on this sword. Super interesting!
Archeological finds that are related to things of religious significance tend to pass the public by.
It's about time something like this has come to light. thanks for sharing.
another interesting thing to research is the term of word of steel itself and how it has evolved over time. (it hasn't always been specifically to refer iron infused with carbon)
It's a very interesting find and a good video too... but what was of any religious significance about it? Existing in the same time as someone mentioned in the bible isn't what I'd call religious significance. Also, if it really was of religious significance I'd say the public usually finds out. Because religion is a big thing out there. :P
@@SysterYster If it existed at the time of religious events in the place of religious events it is connected to religion. Could have been used in a battle in the bible. Religion in America is being systematically destroyed.
@@A_Black_Sheep94 But, everything in the Bible is taking place on Earth in a certain time. It doesn't mean that a find in it's time period is significant to religion. In my mind, saying something is of religious significance would be finding Jesus' cross, or his skeleton, or finding some other proof about some of the stuff in the damned book.
And good. Religion is one of the greatest evils in this world. It should be destroyed. (I mean all of them). Few other things have caused so much pain, grief and destruction as religion. Of course, some good comes from it too, I'm aware. But on the whole, I think this planet would do better without it. (That's my opinion, you're of course entitled to disagree, which I assume you do considering your comment).
@@SysterYster Man how misguided you are. I'm sorry you are so miserable and I'm sorry you will burn in hell forever.
@@A_Black_Sheep94 lol. No no, it's all right. I can't do something in a place that doesn't exist. And I'm quite happy, thank you. :) You are the one worrying about head ghosts while threatening others (that's really not a good Christian way to behave by the way. Bit hypocritical perhaps? You wouldn't be the only one). Now, have a good day!
Wow, that was just amazing. Thanks Shad!
Awesomesauce, Shad! Really spectacular!
I hope you get some kind of commendation from archaeological people for your work. In my opinion, you've earned it.
Archaeological essays on youtube. There is hope for humanity yet! Keep up the good work.
Vered Jericho (ורד יריחו) means the rose of Jericho
just a bit of translation for ya lads, Vered Jericho (Ve-red Ye-ri-ho) means Rose *of Jericho (Yericho), which is an ancient city.
*we don't say something "of" something in Hebrew, we just say something something.
P.S. Jericho is not in modern day Israel territory (as far as I understand) and as far as I remember it wasn't a part of Israel in the bible, rather it was destroyed, but feel free to correct me I'm not an expert on the bible in the least bit.
There was an Israeli city built nearby called "Ir Tmarim" (or something like it) during the Judah Kings' time.
@@nram3930 יריחו 100% נמצאת בישראל.
It makes a lot of sense that this kind of sword, and steel swords in general, would have been quite rare at the time it was made. You have to figure that steel making was new and cutting edge (no pun intended) technology at the time and any smith that knew how to make steel would have jealously guarded the knowledge. It's not people went to school to learn a trade back then, during those times, and for a long time after, a trade was taught and passed down from one person to another, so steelsmithing would have come only from someone who knew who would then pass it on to someone like a son or prized/trusted apprentice so they could carry on his work. Add to this the complexity of the construction of this sword means that you could probably count the number of people who could have possibly made this sword in ancient Israel on one hand.
Sir you are amazingly enthusiastic about swords. Although it is a geeky subject (similar to Fun with Flags from the TBBT, no intend to offend) the level of excitement you put into it is contagious. I am not a sword enthusiast myself, but I really enjoy watching your videos. Now as a materials scientist as I am, I have to tell you: when you show the elemental composition of the sword in the article, you highlight the element Ca. That is calcium, not carbon. The chemical symbol for carbon is C. A slight correction would bring a lot of quality to this particular video. And since we're at it: the damascus steel is so amazingly better than any other steel because it contains carbon nanotubes. Some scientists showed that some of the carbon put into iron to make the damascus steel went an unexpected and only recently understood transformation towards cabon nanotubes. Cheers!
I didn't know that original Damascus steel had carbon nanotubes in it. I always heard that the original kind is an entire mystery, as is wootz steel. Are scientists any closer to figuring out how to make those steels again out of curiosity?
Great video shad- really well made
Thanks heaps mate, so glad you liked it ^_^
This is one of your best videos so far, well done Shad!
Great video. I've always had an interest in classical steel and I'm glad you do the research for me.
So perhaps Excaliber (Hard Cleft) was was made out of quality steel in an age of inferior weapons,giving it it's legendary status of cleaving swords in half ?
Bending is actually a FEATURE of bronze swords! Bronze swords are easily bent back into shape over a knee as opposed to needing to be reforged. Bronze swords almost NEVER break.
if you have to bend a sword (or any piece of metal) back into shape, then it has already been permanently deformed and metal fatigue has been induced. Even if you bend it back into shape, the weakness is still present and will likely only get worse with use. Best to have it re-hammered..
Works in a pinch though
You can anneal the sword after that repair, and have the edge re-peened for work-hardening. But the quick repair will probably get you through the battle; after you survive is time enough to find a smithy.
Properly made bronze swords won't bend much, but a bit of give does prevent breakage. Also bending it a few times will work harden bronze. Only if it happens an excessive number of times is it a problem.
@Caboose 92m Bending is a feature of ALL METALS!!! It's not a uniquely bronze trait. I am pretty sure bronze swords did break. Have you ever recalled as a kid playing with knives, pretending they were two swords fighting? If you ever done so you may recall your parents getting on your butt for doing it because each time the edges slammed they chipped away at the metal's edges (It left gaps and spaces in it). This is for modern kitchen knives after kid was playing with them for a few minutes... imagine if these were bronze. Bronze is a metal that is much softer and bendable than modern the kitchen cutlery. Bronze would deteriorate much quicker from over extended use than iron and steel. You beat any kind of metal to death long enough it will eventually bend, chip away, and break at some point. I am pretty sure that means they can break. Anyone about to say how bronze swords were made differently and could be more durable than what I am saying is largely a contemporary person making surmises on how good bronze in bronze weapons were in those days is nothing but a surmise, from people who didn't live through the time. You don't know as much as anyone else does. Also most of the bronze quality varied in a lot of places. On top of that I even seen a bbc funded experiment of to educated historians and ancient weapons blacksmiths working together to make bronze sword and a iron sword to compare how good they were. The bronze sword didn't take much swings to bind, dull, and chip than the iron sword. They did point out you could still bend it back in shape. It was clear by looking at it, and by these find experts pointing out it, was not going to be straight once done so. Heck, you might bend it back in shape but it was obvious that bronze was the kind of metal that was a pain in the butt in combat and deteriorated quickly.
On a random note: can we start funding a Skallagrim VS Shad HEMA fight?
In either 2000 or 1999, I visited an antiquities dealer in Bethlehem in Israel. He had an astonishing range of goods for sale. I am certain that some at least could not have been legitimately on the market. Among the collection were a bronze "rapier" that likely dated to around the time of the Trojan War, two small bronze "swords" about 14 to 18 inches long with midline ridges on only one side, and an extremely deteriorated "iron" weapon of similar form. He would not tell me where they came from except that they were from "private property" in Israel. The bronze "rapier" was particularly intriguing to me since it didn't make sense in Israel. Needless to say, trying to walk through customs with those in your luggage would attract intense attention from both Israeli and US customs.
I'm a very amateurish metalworker and I've been wanting to start making my own historical sword replicas for a while. This could be a good project.
I love it when you get all passionate about stuff!
Really engaging video. Thank you Shad
awesome video, I quickly did a google search for more images on this sword and you are pretty much the only source. One of the first images was your deviantart upload. fascinating stuff.
Nice video Shad, very interesting indeed.
I have been in the Jerusalem miusme like 10 time, and till now l had no idea that the first still sword is in it. So Thank you for this video.
Btw, 'vered' means 'rose' in Hebrew
I have not heard of this before. Thank you for discussing the sword and topic in general. It was quite interesting.
This is the very best video on the issue of arms and armor in youtube. Your reconstruction of the Jericho is fascinating. Its central ridge and "leaf" shaped blade remind me of a type XVIII. Thank you.
Well, now I know what the Sword of Laban probably looked like. Seems like Laban, and Nephi who just up and made swords like unto it, were right on the cutting edge (lol) of technology at the time.
+Joshua Gardner, Makes me wonder what the actual sword of King David would have looked like.
Nephi must have been an awesome blacksmith
Doesn't the bom say the swords were made of silver?
WeedMIC nope. It says steel. And for a long time people have said it was impossible, since steel swords didn’t exist in Jerusalem in 600 BC. Guess they were wrong.
@@TheJoshWatson i read it when i was nine and i there was something odd i remembered - i was thinking it would be too soft, but it was the time anomaly for steel. Tks
Shad you're awesome.
Thats preety cool, never disapointed with shadiversity's content.
Congratulations man your picture is one of the first thing that comes up on google when I search for that sword :D !
I'd heard of this but I didn't have any idea how old it was, holy shit.
Wow, excellent meta-research! That Vered sword is clearly an anti-armor design, which is sophisticated for its era as well. (Time-travel confirmed?) This also shows how "craft secrets" often lead to the loss of brilliant new technologies, and it can take centuries before another innovator figures it out by independent experimentation. Previously, the earliest date for engineering carbon steel I had seen was in China 4th century bce, and it took hundreds of laborers pumping giant bellows to work the prototype blast furnaces.
There are modern exotic alloys that would make a theoretically superior sword to steel, but they are expensive and usually only used for high-end bicycle or airplane frames/skins that have to endure extreme shock and mass-to-load ratios. Alloys like this with varying percentages of vanadium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, manganese, titanium, and aluminum could be used for a sword, but you would be talking at least 20,000+ major money units (dollars or whatever) to have one custom-made. Still, it wouldn't be invincible, so you would need a high-tech laboratory to do any edge maintenance.
The beauty of steel is that it can be really good for a reasonable price, given the kind of applications it would need to endure; and it can be reasonably maintained by the informed individual user. This makes it not the ultimate material per se, but rather the material that has the best combination of advantages and trade-offs for practical use in the long term. If the best steel won't hold up to your uses, you are just being an asshole to your tools and using the wrong one for the job. A blade is not a hammer.
There's much more to a good material for swords than just strength-to-weight ratio though. The metal also needs to be able to be hardened and tempered which are not really issues for bicycle or aircraft frames but _critical_ for a good sword.
Also the part about craft secrets is so very true, which is why patents were such a revolutionary invention. As in the industrial revolution would likely not have happened without them.
Great Video as always glad I found your channel, always been blown away by the fact that we even figured out how to make metals like steel.
great video Shad
Some say the best sword material is the friends we made along the way.
As an Israeli and sword lover, this just fills me with pride.
Great work Shad, very detailed and researched as always. When I write my fantasy novels I reference your channel for how to design the buildings and weaponry depending on what sort of time period the setting is based on. Keep up the greatness, it helps a lot.
great timing!
i just wanted to search the oldest steel sword then i saw you uploaded this
Very interesting video. Just one question, though...
I'll guess that question is WHERE ARE THE
Did you really name your channel that? Just for the comment?
Interesting! But What About Research! One of the most fundamental components of this video. I ultimately fail at in depth research so how do you do it Shad? Please make a video in order to help people learn how to do independent research.
I agree
Thank you for sharing this very amazing information with us Shad!!
What a beautiful sword (and 3D model), my next Cogent Role Play character is gonna be designed to have a sword like that! Thanks for the amazing video Shad!!
the moment a youtube teaches you more than university (and I study archeology)
I have a correction. Romans carbonized their military iron products since the Republican times, or in other words, created "soft" steel, so technically, it is incorrect to call their equipment iron. This steel was obviously inferior to later steels, but it is still steel.
Technically speaking, humans have never used any tools whatsoever that was pure iron. All practical forms of iron contain carbon impurities, and most cases of iron that came before steel became popular had other impurities as well (Steel still have impurities even to this day though).
Steel practically speaking refers only to the "sweet spot" of carbon impurities, if you increase the carbon impurities the material magically goes back to being iron again.
in other words, it's technically incorrect to refer to anything that is alleged to be made out of iron as being made out of iron, unless it's rust I guess.
Actually, the definition refers to the carbon content within iron, meaning if it is below 0,2% or above 2% it is not steel. So your example of tools not being pure does not fall into this since the carbon content would not be enough for it to be considered steel.
Oh I'm well aware. I just pointed out the rather stupid, but still factual point that Steel is only Steel when the carbon content is just right. Everything else on the scale (below 0.2% and above 2% carbon content), despite never being pure pure iron is still considered iron.
Bronze was used for a long time. What makes bronze swords inferior to iron/steel? Could you please make a video about the pros and cons of bronze swords?
What a Beauty. Someone has to build a Replica asap
2:10 Didn't see the skalagrim video, but materials which would be better for swords?
My ideas:
1. Titanium based alloys - Titankum is harder and more importantly lighter than iron. Titanium based alloys can have simmilar properties and using aluminuim which can be strong in alloys like in planes can be extremely light. Thus being an overal improvement.
2. Coal based - more advanced technology might make swords based on diamond and nano fibers possible. Extrmely hard in some and bedable and flexible in others. I'm usure of the desity of coal, but it probably depends on the form, but is probably less than iron.
You see the problem is that steel is the best... because it is the top tier 1000 year of research Iron-alloy.
Remember it is an iron alloy not a seperate material.
If we stuck in some years into optimising titanium alloys to be the best for swords it might yeld a better result.
We've made more material science discoveries in the last 200 years than in the past million combined. We've got plenty of incredible and useful materials that would work extremely well in sword from, titanium alloys included. Spring steels still seem to be the go to for exactly the reasons stated in the video. Right ratio of weight, hardness, and the resistance to permanent deformation. A blade with an amalgam that gradually transitions from a thin super hard material coating like tungsten carbide on the surface into a softer steel in the middle might work better, but then it would be a massive pain in the dick to repair.
All the materials you mention here fail pretty badly at one or more requirements a sword material would have.
But, I think the foremost argument against replacing steel for swords is that steel does the job as well as is really needed for a sword. Its relatively cheap, easy to work, easy to maintain and can cut more than well enough to kill people. I'm sure there is at least one material from the aircraft and spaceflight industry that could make a stronger sword, but it would be horrendously expensive and not really NEED that strength to function as a sword.
At least, not until we invent sword-fighting robots...
True, the ting is though that we NEVER tried to do a special alloy of titanium for sword usage.
We only did that with Copper (aka Bronze) or Iraon (aka Steal).
The thing is that steal has a lot of properties making it superior to Iron.
I think that we would need years of testing to make a better alloy.
For example russian tanks use low radioactivity Uranium in their iron alloy because it's high mass makes the metalic bonds switch a bit making them denser thus it adds a lot of mass with minimal amounts of uranium.
I think that dismissing Titanium outright is bad because you compare Titanium alloys never meant for sword ussage to Iron alloys especially fashioned and perfected for sword usage.
I think that is more of a fun thought experiment.
More like: What is the best theoretical sword we could make.
WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS WITH SWORDS!!!
If only the world has real dragons with swords.
Felmar Aquino
And he throws pommels with his breath
I think you mistook Shad's channel for Skallagrim's channel.
What about DRAGONS with SWORDS in CASTLES with MACHICOLATIONS
Very interesting
Felmar Aquino Shit sword... You can't end them rightly. What's the point in a sword if you can't end your opponent rightly!!
Interesting. This would be interesting in seeing a map with dates that show when the first sword was found in that region and see how that information spread or how cultures developed swords independently of one another. Once again another great video Shad.
That's awesome of you to release the file of your reconstruction.
Hey Shad I only do armature blacksmithing so I might just be confused (and if so I hope you can correct me), but what are you defining as "steel" in this case? Because according to my understanding the line between "iron" and "steel" is a fairly blurry one (especially as soon as mild steel is brought into the mix). All Iron has carbon in it, iron begins to be considered "steel" when it has carbon content around 1%. Iron is called pig or cast iron after it gets carbon content a little higher than 2%. So if I get it right as soon as you have the means of producing iron you have the capability of making steel. (the difference is the ease of production and the ability to change the carbon content of iron through annealing and cementation.
P.s. On the Forge welding of the sword: This was a common practice when ore quality was not guaranteed to be completely up to snuff, the idea is that the hardened steel forms the edge while the softer iron reinforces it to prevent snapping the blade. This is less common today because first our steel is just better, and second because the purity of our steel makes it difficult to forge weld reliably (apparently wrought iron was incredibly easy to weld even without flux). Do you have any idea in what way the sword was forge welded (is it more damascine or more laminated sandwich style?)
This. My only contact with smithing is in video games, but I've been informed that a smith never has to consciously add carbon to iron because iron gets carbonated during smelting. I've been curious about it ever since. Could be the topic for a video.
Yes! More sword archaeology videos. Yesssss!! Yeeesss! *M. Bison's theme from 90s street fighter cartoon plays*
I thumbed up my own comment.
Watched this after your sword of Laban video. Thanks for sharing this!
I'm in awe of your video; well researched, well presented and about swords, which are inherently cool
What an exquisite sword. Seems to be some buzz about that puppy now.
What a great video! Stunning what men wer capable of, in a time most people consider them half cavemen. One thing would be interesting to know, is there and knowldge of whom it was made for? My two cents would be it was for a rich of powerful man, hence this might have been almost as expensive in those days as it is today. If it was mass production for soldiers, there should be more of those. Maybe there are or werd, but that woud imply, that before that they knew how to make steele for some time.
Recycling can be a reason.
Given the complexity of its construction I'd wager that it was a custom job for someone of wealth, either that or it was made as a gift for someone wealthy and/or powerful, possibly for a king or prince of another nation. There's no way that anything this complex would have been made for a common rank and file soldier. Remember, this is still a bronze age weapon or early iron age at best, meaning the people who had the knowledge to make steel were few and far between and the people who knew how to make steel and had the skill to make this sword would have been even fewer. All this means that, in all likelihood, this sword would have really expensive to make and probably cost the owner a tidy sum.
Super cool man, thanks.
You make learning an absolute joy.
So awesome to hear!
I like katanas.
Jk Deus vult weebs poleaxe ftw
Holden Cross yes
The halberd is the MIGHTIEST OF WEAPONS!!!... don't forget claymores.. and falshens (I don't know how to pronounce that)
Singha Mura thank u :)
my main. (my man)
The most versatile weapon ever made
What about tungsten carbide? It's not particularly heavy nor light and is one of the hardest compounds on earth, also having a very high shock resistance.
Typically swords are 2-3 pounds or 4-5 pounds, of course what is ideal can be a little different depending on the person but its usually in that range. whats also important is center of weight which is one of the biggest reasons why certain weapons are so different but of course a sword means toward the hilt but i feel someone would point it out if i didnt say it. Point is, if you can make a sword around that weight with tungsten or tungsten carbide then you yeah sure its ideal.
Tungsten carbide is far too hard and brittle and shatters or chips under sufficient force instead of deforming like good spring steel. It also cannot be worked into a more flexible material, nor easily repaired once badly damaged since it can pretty much only be sintered. You'd need to decompose the carbide and resinter the entire blade, then re polish it to repair the thing.
I was thinking along these lines, but I was thinking more like a Tungsten-Titanium alloy. It would be less brittle than tungsten carbide while retaining much of the hardness. Just a thought.
Mordred Moridin maybe itd work as a thrusting sword? Idk
Good ole "cuntstain targlide, the Paragon of materials." I'd only assume a sword made out of that would slice through the fabric of the time space continuum and unleash all matter of nonsense. Best to leave some things unknown...
Great vid mate. Thanks for your good work.
Thanks Shad, your best video so far.
Dude, the VJ sword is from 600 b.c. and it's from Israel. having read the Book Of Mormon, what do you think the legendary sword of Laban might have looked like? Now that you have a sword from the time period that Lehi left Jerusalem along with a detailed description of Laban's awesome sword thanks to Nephi, I want to know: What do you think the sword of Laban looked like? PLEASE MAKE THIS A VIDEO.
Looked it up just now. 1 Nephi 4:9
Hilt of pure gold with "exceedingly fine" workmanship
Blade of the most precious STEEL.
And one more thought. Nephi made the first nephite swords by copying the Sword Of Laban. Knowing this, how do you think the swords of later generations of Nephites looked and functioned? How do you think the swords evolved throughout the roughly thousand years of their history (before their culture was completely overrun by Lamanites, who did not have knowledge of metalurgy)
This video is literally in the process of being made right now, will be out in the next few weeks ^_^
Yes, yes, swords are quite interesting...
BUT WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS?!
Great video!
Strong work Shad, thank you.