01-19-2014, 05:55 PM
Jyrki, you speak from my heart. I can only think of bigger knives for the end of 4th c. Most of the knives have a short blade with only one side sharpened. Though they are rare, in the finds there are bigger, two-bladed knives, which could have been used for close combat purposes. These also rarely go above 150 mm of pure love, but the presence of two sharpened sides and their unusual place in the graves (usually over the hip, parallel to it also, just like a front-hanged seax) point to a different use. Most knives were put next to them, with the blade pointing to the feet.
I'll show you one from Intercisa, mid-end of 4th c. Full length is 180 mm, reconstructed blade length should be about 160-165 mm, with a width of 32 mm. It was found over the hip, like a frontal seax, blade pointing to the right (if you were in the place of the skeleton), the handle was in line with the spine. Perfect position for a belt-hung device.
I'll show you one from Intercisa, mid-end of 4th c. Full length is 180 mm, reconstructed blade length should be about 160-165 mm, with a width of 32 mm. It was found over the hip, like a frontal seax, blade pointing to the right (if you were in the place of the skeleton), the handle was in line with the spine. Perfect position for a belt-hung device.
Mark - Legio Leonum Valentiniani
