What physical artifact or relic is the oldest in known succession. That is, what is the oldest known object to have been passed on in a unbroken chain within an organization (i.e.-religion or church, society, family, etc.)? When does it date? What is its story?
I don’t know for how long they can actually be traced back, but I assume that the three sacred items of the japanese emperor’s regalia are probably somewhere in the list.
If I’m not mistaken, the legend is that they heve been given by Amaterasu herself to the first emperor, but when, historically, have they been mentionned for the first time? And is it generally assumed that the current items are the original ones, or at the contrary that they have been replaced from time to time? Have they been scientifically studied? (I believe that the mirror is encased and isn’t even supposed to be seen by anyone).
Maybe a bit of a hijack, here…
The Japanese regalia are some of the most intriguing objects in the world but I think their traceability may be a bit recent.
The first historical mention occurs in the first “historical” Japanese work, the Kojiki, written in 712 CE. The history and legends it contains are often much older, however, being oral, they don’t constitute a historical record.
None of the items are supposed to be seen by anyone other that the emperor and some high priests. As such, no pictures or even drawings of the regalia has been made. Replicas, however, have been made, which leads some to wonder if the originals still exist. Specifically, a sword is said to have been lost at sea during the battle of Dan-no-ura (1185), but there is doubt as to whether it was the original or a copy.
The original objects were perhaps very old, it has been hypothesised that they might have been the very first bronze objects to come from either China or Korea. However, since there’s a very good chance, for all three objects, that they were replaced at some point, the earliest credible date for the mirror and jewel is 690 CE. That’s a relatively recent date and I’d expect older objects to exist. There’s also the problem of defining an “object”. Do buildings count? What about large statues and the like?
thats a bit of a broad spectrum to list. I mean, there are artefacts (such as arrow heads and tools) that can be positively dated to when human ancestors were still bashing each other on the head for the choicest caves. (Amazing how little real estate transactions have changed eh? 
) And as has been insinuated, there are buildings and other structures that are thousands of years old.
Can you narrow down the parameters of what you’re looking for?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Vatican has documents and items handed down through the ages.
Does the Stone of Scone count?
Thanks for your answers.
The OP specifically refers to itams that have been “passed on in an unbroken chain”, which severely restricts the list , probably only to some regalias and major religious relics.
Yes, thanks everyone.
I was thinking of the oldest small to medium sized physical object of cultural importance that has been passed down through the ages within a lineage. Not found artifacts, buildings, or structures.
Looking quickly at european regalia, I notice that for instance the 16th scottish crown is the oldest british regalia, "Charlemagne’s " sword dates back to the 10th-12th century, the famous crown of Hungary to the 11th century, so 690 CE is pretty old for such items (and only the scottish crown would fit in the OP’s definition of “passed on in an unbroken chain”, since the others are now in museums).
I would suspect that religious artifacts might be the most likely candidates.
Yes, that fits into my definition. Hard to find a straight answer on how old it really is, though. Stories claim it is the biblical stone of destiny.
How old is it, or perhaps more correctly for how long has it been used?
Some reliquaries (cases containing relics of saints) have been in the possession of the Catholic Church since approximately the fifth century AD. The earliest one mentioned in the article which seems to have a fairly clear provenence would seem to be one dating back to Pope Gregory the Great in the late 500s.
How about something like Tutenkhamen’s mummy, grave goods, etc? They’ve only been in somebody’s (and museum’s) posession for a few decades, but we know where they were and how they got there for quite a long time. That’s cheating the OP a bit, though.
The English Coronation Chair is 700 years old.
The Domesday book is 900 years old
The story behind the Stone of Scone is that it’s the stone that Jacob used for a pillow in Genesis 28:10-19. It was supposedly handed down, brought to Ireland by Milesius, became a possession of the Dal Riada Ulsterite royal family, was taken to Scotland when they colonized the Dalriada part of Scotland, ended up in Edinburgh, was removed from there by Edward I of England, and put under the throne of England.
How far back actual documented history goes on that is anyone’s guess. The capturing by England from the Scots is probably valid – have fun documenting any part of the rest! 
I’m wondering if documentable historical provenance can be accomplished for any of the relics of the Buddha that are scattered across South Asia. The Temple of the Tooth, for example, has a reliquary containing what’s supposed to be one of the Buddha’s teeth. That would take you back to about 600 B.C.E. if it proved out.
The Sacred Orb of the Illuminati.
I seem to recall that a Coptic church/temple has been in use since Gnostic times. I’ll look around for a reference.
This chamber may qualify:
http://www.yazd.com/album/0141.htm
(Zoroastrian fire chamber (continuously lit since 900 AD) - Yazd)
Even worse, the Stone Of Scone was nicked back by a couple of Scots in 1950 and there is, apparently some question about whether the lump of rock that was eventually recovered is in fact the REAL one