KNIFE

Roman copper alloy openwork knife handle, Length 65 mm, width 20 mm, thickness 6mm with a weight of 21.02 g.

The object is rectangular in form and cross section and is depicting a hunting scene. At the blade end (left in image) it has a solid rectangular portion which has a rounded upper surface and is decorated with an incised horizontal line which runs around the object at each edge. The left end and the underside is hollow to hold the blade. This is held in place with an iron rivet/pivot centrally placed near its lower edge. Part of the iron blade is still present in the end section and in two clumps projecting from the underside of the object (as shown).

The main handle also has a rounded upper surface and is hollow. It has openwork decoration sitting on a solid border, flanking its open lower edge. Where the border joins the decoration there is an incised line. This consists of a lean hunting dog, whose tail joins the upper part of the rectangular section near the blade. It is in full stride with backlegs facing back to the blade and front legs forward. Its muzzle is touching the back end of the hare that it is chasing down. This is depicted by a sub rectangular body and legs, but is missing its head and the object is also possibly missing a hooked projection at this point.

The object is very similar to SF-9E68A3, WILT-CB5384 and WILT-F07013, and can be compared with other local examples, such as LEIC-40C8C8, which shows the other end of the knife handle, and LEIC-374704.

Complete examples are also published from Roman Richborough (Bushe Fox 1949: pl. XXXVI no. 118) and Thetford (Gregory, 1991: p. 131, fig. 117, no. 19).