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King Tiglath Pileser III Holds a Bow
Siege scene depicting the Assyrian king Tiglath Pileser III armed with a bow. Next to him, an Assyrian warrior wears a classical pointed Assyrian helmet and holds a dagger. Alabaster wall relief, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Neo-Assyrian Empire, 745-727 BCE.
The Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
Questions & Answers
What are the oldest weapons in the world?
- The oldest weapons in the world are spears, specifically the spears found in Schöningen, Germany in 1995 dated to c. 400,000 BCE
What were weapons originally made of?
- Weapons were originally made of wood and stone.
What is the oldest gun in the world?
- The oldest firearm found to date is the Heilongjiang Hand Cannon from China, dated to c. 1288.
What are the oldest swords in the world?
- The oldest swords in the world were discovered only in the 1980s at Arslantepe Mound in Turkey and date to c. 3300 BCE.
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