Old knife

[TVV]

Sasa-Liviu,

Treasure hunter (the archaeologists do not publish such mundane items) finds suggest that knives of similar form and construction were used in the Balkans since at least late antiquity. They are certainly of a utilitarian nature and the massive pommel could be used as a hammer or pestle, for example for cracking nuts, etc. Since collectors and dealers (especially dealers) want to present these as shepherds knives, used by shepherds for self defense, one version is that the pommel was used for cracking open the skulls of lambs in order to gain access to the brain, a delicacy.

Regards,
Teodor