Prehistoric — Middle Iron Age; 500BC-300BC
Dagger & sheath
Iron dagger in complete bronze sheath with chape. Iron blade embedded in sheath with part of oblong-sectioned tang surviving. Bronze front plate (0.5mm) sweeps up to sharp median ridge, probably formed by hammering over sharp-edged stake and then bending back. Edge folded over to clasp iron back-plate by three-quarter-round moulding. Front finely polished and carrying an arcaded bordering of intersecting semicircles, their springers each stopped in a carefully drilled hollow; the spandrils of the intersecting arcading textured with drilled stipple. The iron back-plate is mounted of a median ridge. There were two iron suspension-loops near the top, one of which survives complete, apparently fitted through holes in back-plate and hammered over the inner surface before final assembly of sheath (extracted from Jope, E. M., 2000, Early Celtic Art). Found in the Thames at Hammersmith.
- Category:
- Prehistoric
- Object ID:
- A22599
- Object name:
- dagger & sheath
- Object type:
- Artist/Maker:
- —
- Related people:
- Related events:
- Related places:
- Production date:
- Middle Iron Age; 500BC-300BC
- Material:
iron, copper alloy
- Measurements/duration:
- L 300 mm, W 55 mm, D 16 mm (overall)
- Part of:
- —
- On display:
- —
- Record quality:
- 100%
- Part of this object:
- —
- Owner Status & Credit:
Permanent collection
- Copyright holder:
digital image © London Museum
- Image credit:
- —
- Creative commons usage:
- —
- License this image:
To license this image for commercial use, please contact the London Museum Picture Library.