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Description: | Roman knife handle; cast copper alloy folding knife handle in the shape of a stretching lion, dating to the 1st or 2nd centuries. The handle has a flat, crescentic back terminal with a small, circular hole pierced in one side. It then curves in to form a long, narrow handle with a moulded boss to represent the lion's rear haunches. The handle thickens slightly towards the animal's head, which is very finely moulded with small, pointed ears, pronounced brows, indented eyes, a long nose and incised lines to suggest the muzzle. The beast's forelegs extend from beneath the head, stretching out in front of the lion to grasp the front folding blade of the knife. The remains of that blade are still present, attached by an iron pin through the two sides of the front of the handle. However, the blade seems unusual in that it is flat and smooth on both edges with neither coming to a cutting edge. Also, it curves upwards shortly beyond the attachment pin and this is a deliberate shaping rather than the result of later breakage or corrosion. There is a small, ragged, broken edge at the top of the blade, which suggests that it would have originally curved up in front of the lion's head (or stuck out downwards below its head when folded away). There is a fitting to attach a second blade below the joint of the flat, crescent piece and the long handle. This is somewhat obscured by iron corrosion, suggesting that it too was fastened with an iron pin. None of this second blade now remains. The underside of the handle has a deep groove to receive the blades. This groove is segmented by a narrow ridge running across it, approximately at the point of the lion's front 'armpits'. This leaves a short space for the front, curving blade and a longer one for the rear blade. There are traces of gilding remaining in places over the surface, especially in the grooves which received the blades.Length 71.9mm, width (crescent) 15.7mm, width (at head) 5.5mm, thickness (at head) 10.4mm, weight 14.79gRef: This is very similar to a knife handle described and illustrated in Mills, page 86, artefact R258.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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