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Eric Dean
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 Posted: Mon 02 Apr, 2007 5:02 pm Post subject: Need Help Identifying a knife blade (3000 b.c.) |
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I just purchased this, and was told it dated from the copper age, approx. 3000 b.c. It's 6.5 inches in length, and non-magnetic. Can anyone, based on the design and age, give me a clue as to its place of origin? Can anyone point me in the right direction to find out anything more about it?
Can I give you any more info about it that might help in its identification?
Thanks, and I look forward to becoming a productive part of this forum.
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Last edited by Eric Dean on Mon 02 Apr, 2007 10:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Barrett Hiebert
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| Posted: Mon 02 Apr, 2007 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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Greetings,
Hi! I just wanted to say welcome to this forum, but sadly I have no advice, or wisdom to give you, though I wish you the best of luck! Cheers!
Best regards,
Barrett Michael Hiebert
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Mark Shier
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Mon 02 Apr, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject: knife |
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If it is non-metallic, what is it made of?
mark
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Eric Dean
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| Posted: Mon 02 Apr, 2007 10:57 pm Post subject: Re: knife |
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| Mark Shier wrote: | If it is non-metallic, what is it made of?
mark |
Sorry...typed it in a hurry. I meant "non-magnetic". By its weight, I'm quite sure its metallic  Probably copper or bronze, though I don't want to clean it to find out.
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Steve L.
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| Posted: Tue 03 Apr, 2007 3:28 am Post subject: |
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Possibly is it an "east-alpine" (means the area from Autria to the Carpathian basin, with Slovenia, Northern Croatia and Hungary) bronze knife, (1000 - 900BC).
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Tue 03 Apr, 2007 4:28 am Post subject: |
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Yup, most likely eastern Europe, as that's where most bronze age artifacts come from these days. I must recommend against collecting these artifacts, as they are being excavated illegally, which results in the destruction of important ancient sites. For artifacts of this period, it's best to stick to collecting reproductions and admire the originals in museums
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Eric Dean
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| Posted: Tue 03 Apr, 2007 6:53 am Post subject: |
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Wow, I had no idea these were being excavated illegally.
Based on the design (tip up, short tang, VERY thin edge and comparitively thick spine) I figured it might have been a filet knife of some kind.
Also, is there any way to distinguish copper from bronze without necessarily cleaning it?
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Steve L.
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| Posted: Tue 03 Apr, 2007 7:48 am Post subject: |
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This is a knife-form from the later bronze age - non alloyed copper blades was definetily "out" at this era! 
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Tue 03 Apr, 2007 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Eric Dean wrote: | Wow, I had no idea these were being excavated illegally.
Based on the design (tip up, short tang, VERY thin edge and comparitively thick spine) I figured it might have been a filet knife of some kind. |
It's possible. Although remind that bronze artifacts were very expensive in those days, so someone only had one knife, if he could afford one at all. So it's quite likely they were used for all sorts of tasks, like a modern pocket knife. There are a lot of different blade shapes though, which indicated different uses. B.t.w. the curved tip is a result of repeated hammering of the cutting edge to sharpen it.
| Quote: | | Also, is there any way to distinguish copper from bronze without necessarily cleaning it? |
As Steve mentioned, everything in this period was bronze. Single edged knives appear in Europe somewhere in the middle bronze age. Before that, knives were in the form of symmetrical double edged daggers, of which the earliest examples were copper. There are single edged copper knives though, but I only know them from Egypt.
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This is a standard topic