As the researchers examined the provenance of the spear, they made note of how property of the Templars was treated during the early 1300s. The reason this was of interest to them was because a Templar coin had been found near the spear’s original location.

From the moment the Spear of Antioch (the alleged spear of Longinus) was found until the moment it “disappeared” from history after the battle of Ascalon, it was the rallying point of the First Crusade in the hands of Raymond of Toulouse. Raymond used the spear to lead the Crusaders out of the city of Antioch to victory against a much greater army.