Abstract
Daggers with Inlaid Handles.—In Ancient Egypt, 1930, No. 4, Sir Flinders Petrie, referring to the recent discovery in Palestine of two examples of the dagger having a metal handle east in one piece with the blade and bearing a plate of inlay on each side, reviews a number of examples of the type which have come into view, in various countries. These he places in six classes: (1) The butt handle, of the simplest type, with a slight curve at the end and the inlay space shallow and long. It begins about 2000 B.C. near Behistun and is found at Nineveh and Ras Shamra. (2) The pommel type, begins with the butt getting wider as in Egypt the distinct pommel appears in the south-west of the Caspian the fully developed pommel is on a dagger of Apepa III. (1600 B.C.) the subjects are embossed on electrum plates. This type belongs to North Syria and was brought to Egypt by the Hyksos. (3) The encased handle, begins with the deep setting of the handles as from Kasbek, Caucasus, about 600 B.C. The examples point to a primitive type of pierced bone handle. The encased inlay passed into a form like that of the deeply winged palstave. (4) To give the best grip to the handle for an upward thrust, a cusp was raised, giving the thumb and finger a more secure hold. A preliminary form appears in Hyksos times. It was a development of the tang made in shovel form to insert in a separate handle. (5) The wide blades with cross-head handles are western. The inlay is riveted on. An example of about 1400 B.C. is from Korinth, others from Knossos, Veii, Cuma, and Terni. (6) The falchion (khepesh, the thigh), of eastern origin, an example from Diarbekr, of 1300 B.C., has an inlay handle with the name of Hadadnirari, and another of the time of Rameses II. from Tell Retabeh.
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Research Items. Nature 127, 607–609 (1931). https://doi.org/10.1038/127607a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/127607a0