Ein Miniaturmesser in Gladiusform aus dem Hunsrück

Abstract

A Miniature Knife in the Shape of a Gladius from the Hunsrück Uplands

The knife from Damscheid presented here cannot be dated with any degree of certainty to the Roman period owing to the lack of parallels and associated finds. On the contrary, whereas the handle was produced following the appearance of Roman short swords, the blade and sheath do not correspond to the spectrum of Roman types and shapes. Also, the fact that the knife from Damscheid is almost entirely sticking in the sheath distinguishes the knife from the known parallels of the Roman period. Since the knife is utterly functional, one can discount a use as a votive weapon, too. The design of the sheath and the small size indicate that it was a specialised tool. Because only two parallels are known hitherto, we could be dealing with specialised and individual knives which were produced in small numbers. The material employed, the workmanship and the execution might suggest a dating in the Late Middle Ages or the Early Modern period.