Brass Hilt Dirk

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Battara

Many early dirks like this use dot circles that harken back to old Celtic designs. The African attribution is necessary therefore.

Jose, thank you for this note! The Celtic designs were keenly present in various cultures, including Scottish in material culture. One that comes to mind is the dot and circle, which is seen in some Scot weapons, but also turns up in India, Central Asia and the Balkans. As noted, it seems the same simple but notable design/symbol turns up in African culture in degree as well.

While it is hard to say whether these symbols evolved in the convergent sense, or as a result of cultural contact is hard to say, and may apply differently in incidental cases, but as you note, must be considered.