2,000-Year-Old Roman Dagger

[Naperville]

I do not remember seeing a story on this. Neat knife!

Story
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-ne ... 180974310/

Knife

[Naperville]

Image not showing up. Well, it was very encrusted!

EDIT: Got it!

[Evil D]

I'm fascinated with anything Roman, or even Egyptian for that matter. I feel like there's a lot to learn from two civilizations that were so prominent for such a vast span of time but then fell to ruin.

[Manixguy@1994]

Image not showing up. Well, it was very encrusted!

EDIT: Got it!

Since you are not far away have you ever been to the Chicago Museum of Art ? They have a wing of Roman and Medieval displays that is very interesting. It’s one one my favorite places to go too when I am there . Dan

[Doc Dan]

The Roman Empire lasted from the 400's BC to the AD 1400's, about 1000 years. Amazing.

[Manixguy@1994]

Since it is so ornate , my guess it may be someone of high rank ? Just a guess . MG2

[The Meat man]

That is so cool! The preservation is unbelievable!

The history of Rome is so fascinating. I have been reading Cassius Dio's history of Rome. I'm currently on Book 2, having read about the founding of Rome, the Kingdom of Rome, its collapse and the subsequent formation of the Republic, I'm now getting to the Imperatorial Period (the collapse of the Republic) with its violence and political intrigue, and great figures like Pompey, Crassus, Caesar, Cicero, Cato, and others.

[TkoK83Spy]

Very cool indeed! Thanks for posting.

[Wartstein]

I am also quite interested in Roman history and archaeology. Thanks for sharing, very nice and interesting!

Most of these Pugios (Roman word for that kind of military dagger, rarely used by Civilians as far as I know) are found in the back then northwestern provinces of the Roman Empire (Germany, Rhine region). Few in ex- southern and eastern provimces.
It is believed by many historians that this is due to the specific kind of warfare in the northwest of the Roman empire: A lot of very close combat against mostly unarmored Germanic tribes, where even the anyway rather short Roman gladius (sword) could be cumbersome to use and an even shorter weapon the better choice sometimes.

Here https://youtu.be/4BMiteizaWc is a vid about the Pugio, these guys normally do their research and know what they are talking about (and I think mention too what I said above as far as I can recall)

[VooDooChild]

Fun fact about Rome...
Read the quote that I use as a signature at the end of my posts.

[James Y]

Amazing that it could actually be restored.

Jim

[ChrisinHove]

It makes me wonder what else is lying around, waiting to be discovered.

[Naperville]

Image not showing up. Well, it was very encrusted!

EDIT: Got it!

Since you are not far away have you ever been to the Chicago Museum of Art ? They have a wing of Roman and Medieval displays that is very interesting. It’s one one my favorite places to go too when I am there . Dan

I didn't even think of it! Thank you!!!

I'll definitely need to go now. I bet they have many interesting antiquities.

[knivesandbooks]

Is it full tang tho

[Manixguy@1994]

Image not showing up. Well, it was very encrusted!

EDIT: Got it!

Since you are not far away have you ever been to the Chicago Museum of Art ? They have a wing of Roman and Medieval displays that is very interesting. It’s one one my favorite places to go too when I am there . Dan

I didn't even think of it! Thank you!!!

I'll definitely need to go now. I bet they have many interesting antiquities.

I think you would enjoy it . The wings are side by side . So you have both right there to look at . Surprised me the armor is definitely not made for tall people !

[Naperville]

Image not showing up. Well, it was very encrusted!

EDIT: Got it!

Since you are not far away have you ever been to the Chicago Museum of Art ? They have a wing of Roman and Medieval displays that is very interesting. It’s one one my favorite places to go too when I am there . Dan

I didn't even think of it! Thank you!!!

I'll definitely need to go now. I bet they have many interesting antiquities.

I think you would enjoy it . The wings are side by side . So you have both right there to look at . Surprised me the armor is definitely not made for tall people !

Funny thing is, I've been to all of these museums in Chicago but not in the last 30+ years, and I only recently took up serious knife collecting. People take the museums for granted.

I'll try to hit up the Art Museum and Field Museum in 2022.

[yablanowitz]

Image not showing up. Well, it was very encrusted!

EDIT: Got it!

Since you are not far away have you ever been to the Chicago Museum of Art ? They have a wing of Roman and Medieval displays that is very interesting. It’s one one my favorite places to go too when I am there . Dan

I didn't even think of it! Thank you!!!

I'll definitely need to go now. I bet they have many interesting antiquities.

I think you would enjoy it . The wings are side by side . So you have both right there to look at . Surprised me the armor is definitely not made for tall people !

Back then, tall people were 5'-4".

[Naperville]

Since you are not far away have you ever been to the Chicago Museum of Art ? They have a wing of Roman and Medieval displays that is very interesting. It’s one one my favorite places to go too when I am there . Dan

I didn't even think of it! Thank you!!!

I'll definitely need to go now. I bet they have many interesting antiquities.

I think you would enjoy it . The wings are side by side . So you have both right there to look at . Surprised me the armor is definitely not made for tall people !

Back then, tall people were 5'-4".

I do think that most people were short in the middle ages and earlier. They did not eat well, live well, and suffered through the seasons because they lacked modern HVAC systems. But before mobility and migration became the norm, I think there were countries that had taller people within them. Some European countries have a significant number of people reaching 6ft tall or better, no problem, just like in China, some regions have taller folks. You see these folks in the NBA.

[Naperville]

I've got to say, that is a humdinger of a knife blade design!

[James Y]

When I visited The House of Seven Gables in Massachusetts, I recall the rooms were small and cramped, and the furnishings, utensils, and everything in it, were tiny. The tour guide said that back in the Colonial days, the average person was much smaller, due to the nutrition back then, etc.

My grandpa (dad's side) from Japan, 1871 to 1951, was over 6' tall. Extremely tall for a Japanese of that time period; he was even taller and larger than many Europeans and Euro-Americans back then. My mom's dad (1893 to 1986), also from Japan, was my height, 5' 9", which was also very tall for a Japanese during that period. There are always going to be exceptions to the norm.

Jim