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Description
Description
Scandinavian, Viking tradition, 12th century Material: Iron (blade); handle restored Condition: Original blade; later handle made in the manner of the original
A single-edged iron knife carried throughout the Viking world, a tool for daily life as much as a weapon. The knife was an essential personal possession, used for eating, craft, hunting, and travel, and was usually worn at the belt.
The forged iron blade is original to the period and retains the form and proportions characteristic of the type. It shows the surface of its age, with the oxidation and patina that come with centuries of burial. The handle is a restoration, made to follow the design and construction of surviving examples and fitted to the tang to complete the object as it would have appeared originally.
Iron knives of this kind are among the most common finds from Viking Age and later Scandinavian sites, yet each one preserves the work of a smith whose craft carried over from daily use into the grave and the archaeological record. The knife offers a direct and tangible link to a world of seafarers, traders, and settlers.
Period and Time
Period and Time
The blade is made of iron, the principal metal of the Viking world. Iron was smelted from bog and lake ores in clay furnaces known as bloomeries, which produced a spongy mass of metal called a bloom. The smith reheated this repeatedly and hammered it to drive out impurities and consolidate it into a workable bar. The blade was then forged by hand into its final shape, with the tang drawn out to receive a handle. Some knives of this period have a steel edge welded into the iron body, which gave a harder cutting surface. The handle is a later restoration, made to follow the form and construction of surviving examples.
Material
Material
This knife dates to the 12th century, the closing phase of the Viking tradition. The Viking Age is conventionally placed between about 793 and 1066, but Scandinavian material culture did not change overnight. Through the 12th century, the Nordic world was becoming Christian, towns were growing, and kingdoms were consolidating, yet the everyday knife kept the form and craftsmanship established in earlier centuries. This makes the knife an object of transition, linking the Viking world to the medieval Scandinavia that followed.
