I remember once being told the oldest swords date from right around the time they were flourishing in the 1700s BC?
Sorry I'm a bit late to this. The oldest sword in the Aegean is the example with a crystal pommel from Malia on Crete, dating to Middle Minoan II (c.1800-1750 BCE).^1 Art showing swords in use is sparse during the Minoan period on Crete, but examples do exist from Late Minoan I-II (c.1700-1400 BCE): Example 1, Example 2^2
^1 Kilian-Dirlmeier (1993) Die Schwerter in Griechenland (außerhalb der Peloponnes), Bulgarien und Albanien, p.14-17.
^2 Both images from the Corpus of Minoan and Mycenaean Seals