Museums offer such a fascinating peek inside the history that we would have no other access to. Whether it’s the gleaming swords of Middle Age knights or the whittled canoes of the Iroquois, every object peels back the curtain on the fascinating world we live in.
Archaeologist Vittoria Dall’Armellina was all about museums and the treasures they held. Her life was dedicated to uncovering ancient relics, and during a guided tour through the Saint Lazarus monastery museum, she had the chance to make a huge contribution to her interests. When she spotted something “off” about one artifact, the discovery sent experts into a frenzy.
Vittoria Dall’Armellina was obsessed with archaeology and the amazing insight it offered into the customs and ways of life throughout history. That was exactly why she earned a PhD in the subject — and how she developed a curious, trained eye.
She attended Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy. The institution has been around since 1868, and it’s one of the highest ranked universities in the country. There, Vittoria developed the passion for history that would lead her to an incredible discovery.
Vittoria and her husband often traveled the world to various historic locations so she could see firsthand some of the most majestic architecture and relics ever discovered. And, it was always worth it.
Perusing any kind of museum or archaeological site breathed life into Vittoria, and there was one place she always heard about but never visited: the Saint Lazarus monastery. So, she and her husband planned a trip.
The monastery was located on its own island in Venetian Lagoon. During the Middle Ages, the island actually housed a leper colony! The sprawling monastery is now home to a different group.
These days, many Mekhitarist friars live there. The religious group settled there in 1717, and they’re part of the Armenian-Catholic congregation. They put tons of effort into preserving Armenian heritage and antiquities.
They’ve done an incredible job holding onto some of the most precious pieces of Armenian history, and visitors who venture to the monastery’s island can take a step back in time at the museum attached to it.
Having an obsession with all things archaeological like Vittoria meant she couldn’t wait to explore the museum. So, she immediately signed up for a guided tour on the website.
Not long after finally arriving at the island, the museum tour began. Vittoria, along with her husband and small group of other fascinated tourists, began making their way through the incredible historic building. Vittoria was in awe at the relics.
As the group traveled room to room, the tour guide explained the history of everything adorning the walls and resting inside the many glass display cases. Vittoria couldn’t get over just how rich Armenian history was.
Just as the tour was about to come to an end, something unusual caught Vittoria’s eye. As she leaned closer to the display case holding the item, she realized something just wasn’t right.
She was looking at a 17-inch metal sword delicately resting inside one of the smaller display cases. The weapon was labeled as an artifact from the Middle Ages, but Vittoria couldn’t help but think the information was incorrect.
Vittoria’s area of expertise was Bronze Age weaponry. Anything from that era immediately caught her eye, which was why the sword looked so familiar. So, she mentioned it to one of museum’s curators.
The curators — and friars — couldn’t believe that an error so huge was made on their part. The sword was immediately removed from the case and taken in to test Vittoria’s theory.
For two whole years, Italy’s University of Padua performed in-depth chemical composition analyses on the artifact. After 24 months of rigorous testing, Vittoria was dying to find out if her theory was correct.
The sword was dated as far back as 5,000 years ago, long before the Middle Ages even began! its chemical composition via the testing matched other artifacts from another specific archaeological site.
