Knife

[kitov]

Is this roman knife ?
Thank.

[Andrew McCabe]

Is this roman knife ?
Thank.

It looks like the so-called Gaulish knife on these two coins. One of them shows a ring on its end.





But its difficult to understand why it would have a blunt nose. Perhaps it was for shearing sheep and you didnt want a sharp end to be safe from cutting the sheep rather than the wool.

postscript - I just realised your knife is in a hinged sheath and is not a one piece knife. So I doubt it is one of these Gaulish knives which were one-piece items. Might be a lot more modern then - 18th century?

[benito]

IMO the sword in the coins  appears to be an Iberian "falcata". Like this one.
The cutting edge was so strong that Polybius writes that after the first battles in Hispania the Roman troops were ordered
to reinforce the borders of their shields.
Some carried a ring.

[4to2CentBCphilia]

Looks like a barbers razor. How old, I don't know.

PS This link is a thread on the orgin of the straight razor. Halfway down is a black and white photo of a 15th century straight razor.

http://straightrazorplace.com/beginners/22910-history-straight-razor.html

BR

Mark

[Andrew McCabe]

IMO the sword in the coins  appears to be an Iberian "falcata". Like this one.
The cutting edge was so strong that Polybius writes that after the first battles in Hispania the Roman troops were ordered
to reinforce the borders of their shields.
Some carried a ring.

This is interesting. Over time I have come to realise that there are no symbols or letters on second Punic War coinage without a link to a person or to a city. A couple of days ago I suggested a new link, that of the Sicilian denarius with crooked staff, via a gem in the British Museum, to Ulysses, and Ulysses to the family Mamilia from Tusculum, Mamilia being the daughter of Telegonus, who was regarded as the legendary founder of Tusculum and the son of Ulysses and the goddess Circe, and this to Gaius Mamilius Atellus, Praetor in 207BC, first plebeian curio maximus, and who commanded Sicily 207 to 206 B.C. Pictures here:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=82385.msg514352#msg514352

However many symbols remain without a home. If this is, as I'm sure it looks from the picture, Spanish, or was perhaps of the same design used in Gaul, and if the coinage it is from seems to be Etrurian, here is a puzzle that can be solved. Which general, campaigning and issuing coin in Etruria, in the 212-206BC period, would have a family or personal background that would be evidently linked to an Iberian falcata? Answers on a postcard please (NB I don't have an answer at the moment).

[benito]

More than one name can be linked to a Falcata. i.e.The Cornelia gens with the Scipios. But I rather like that of  Gaius Claudius Nero who ,when in Spain, led an expedition in 210 BC that captured Hasdrubal ( who managed to scape later). As Consul he defeated the Carthaginians led by Hasdrubal in the battle of Metaurus (207 BC). Hasdrubal died in the battle with more than 12.000 of his soldiers.
BTW. The falcata is exclusively Iberian .

[Andrew McCabe]

More than one name can be linked to a Falcata. i.e.The Cornelia gens with the Scipios. But I rather like that of  Gaius Claudius Nero who ,when in Spain, led an expedition in 210 BC that captured Hasdrubal ( who managed to scape later). As Consul he defeated the Carthaginians led by Hasdrubal in the battle of Metaurus (207 BC). Hasdrubal died in the battle with more than 12.000 of his soldiers.
BTW. The falcata is exclusively Iberian .

Metaurus would fit. It is in northern Italy, where the coin type is presumed to come from, and the date is about right.

Generally the antiquarian sources on Roman coinage had worked out all these links centuries ago,  but because of the misleading dates from Pliny, in many cases the 3rd century BC coins are wrongly dated by the antiquarians, hence they would have missed the link between Gaius Claudius Nero and Metaurus. Crawford barely discusses the possibilities. So I think it's an area worth exploring more. It was for this reason that I was asking about second Punic war maps on list a couple of weeks ago. The maps are here:

http://www.galeon.com/historical-atlas/

I can't imagine what that shiny new falcata is intended for today.

[benito]

I can't imagine what that shiny new falcata is intended for today.

Just waiting ( in my Iberian warrior dress) for  Jay cinquecento and Lucas ( in legionary armour and socks) to give them a good thrashing.

[Viminacium]

This knife is not Roman. Middle age,maybe Othoman.

[kitov]

Thanks Viminacium.