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Risto Rautiainen




Location: Kontiolahti, Finland
Joined: 23 Feb 2004
Reading list: 10 books

Posts: 176

PostPosted: Fri 16 Sep, 2011 2:52 am    Post subject: Sica/other galdiatorial weapon?         Reply with quote

Hello!

I noticed this a while ago on a Finnish net auction:



The seller claims it's a gladiatorial fighting knife that was found from Londium. Do you think it's a fake or what it might be? I don't recall seeing anything like this before.
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Matthew Bunker




Location: Somerset UK
Joined: 02 Apr 2009

Posts: 483

PostPosted: Fri 16 Sep, 2011 3:50 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Looks agricultural, possibly a form of stock knife ? The long spike fits into a hole or socket to act as a pivot when chopping.

Either that or it might be another regional variant on a billhook/handbill.

Certainly doesn't look like any gladiatorial weapon I've ever seen and, if it came from London, I'm pretty sure I'd have heard about it.

"If a Greek can do it, two Englishman certainly can !"
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Matthew Amt




Location: Laurel, MD, USA
Joined: 17 Sep 2003

Posts: 1,456

PostPosted: Fri 16 Sep, 2011 7:20 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Well, it *does* look like something the Uruk-hai would carry! But I would tend to agree that it's probably not a gladiatorial weapon. The spike could be a tang for a handle, making it a specialized drawknife of some sort? Someone who knows more about later tools can probably identify it.

Interesting piece, for sure!

Matthew
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Julian Reynolds




Location: United Kingdom
Joined: 30 Mar 2008

Posts: 271

PostPosted: Fri 16 Sep, 2011 8:03 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

This is definately a type of drawknife. The tang would have a wooden handle, and the ring at the other end would be fixed to a staple or ring in a block of wood, to get a lot of leverage when shaping a wooden object. Below is a clogger's knife, which works on a similar principle (although shaped differently).


 Attachment: 31.32 KB
cloggers_knife.jpg

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Risto Rautiainen




Location: Kontiolahti, Finland
Joined: 23 Feb 2004
Reading list: 10 books

Posts: 176

PostPosted: Fri 16 Sep, 2011 10:44 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

That makes sense because sometimes I use the same mechanics when carwing wood with a knife. Thanks for the answers!
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