Scythian akinakes or medieval kidney-dagger?

Archaeometric study of a recent find from Legnica (south-western Poland)

Abstract

Scythian akinakes or medieval kidney-dagger? Archaeometric study of a recent find from Legnica (south-western Poland)

The paper presents an iron dagger discovered nearly 50 years ago near the city of Legnica in south-western Poland as a stray find, previously identified as a medieval kidney-dagger and dated to the 13th century. After the analysis, this unique find turned out to be instead a Scythian akinakes which belongs to a small collection of daggers of Scythian provenance discovered in Poland comprising only five specimens so far. Apart from the typological identification of the dagger, a metallographic survey and hardness tests were carried out which demonstrated a simple production technology.