DAGGER

A fragment of a copper alloy and iron Iron Age dagger (c.300-c.100 BC), consisting of part of the copper alloy hilt closest to the blade, a short length of the iron blade and part of the iron handle. It is missing most of its blade and hilt. Overall, the fragment measures 43.6mm long, 53.0mm wide and 17.1mm thick. It weighs 63.45g.

The copper alloy part of the hilt that survives is shaped like a V and is similar to the cross guard or quillons of a more recent sword or dagger. Overall, the decoration of the object is in a three-dimensional style of Celtic art more common in continental Europe, known as 'plastic style'. Each end has a globular terminal which is decorated with a spiral and a central pellet on each side. The inner edges of the V (near the blade) are smooth but the outer edges are covered in a series of transverse ribs. On the front and back of the centre of the V there is a large pellet with a small pellet at its centre. The remains of the handle is encrusted with corroded iron which appears to have erupted through the copper alloy casing.

Discussion (with contributions by Julia Farley, Curator of European Iron Age Collections at the British Museum):

This appears to be part of a dagger or short sword with an anthropomorphic hilt of which there are several examples in the British Museum (1913,0607.8, 1888,0719.36, ML.1669, 1890,1213.1). Finds of this type are unusual in Britain. The most well-known is from North Grimston (Hull Museum 3001.42), but together Clarke and Hawkes (1956), Jope (1965) and Stead (2005) give fourteen daggers and short swords in total from Britain, making this at least the fifteenth example. Most have more exaggerated, outwardly curving arms and legs. This piece seems to have had more of an X-shaped hilt, with short arms (missing) and legs. One example from France is quite similar in design, with ram-head terminals (Clarke and Hawkes 1956). The spiralled decoration on the terminals of this example may be suggestive of rams' horns. The form of the hilt and the 'plastic style' decoration indicates that this dagger may have had a continental origin, but with such a small corpus of examples it is difficult to be sure.

R. R. Clarke and C. F. C. Hawkes (1956). An Iron Anthropoid Sword from Shouldham, Norfolk with Related Continental and British Weapons. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 21, pp. 198-227.

E. M. Jope (1965) 'Daggers of the Early Iron Age in Britain', Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, 27, pp. 307-43.

M. Stead (2005). British Iron Age Swords and Scabbards.