Harvard Art Museums > 2012.1.45: Knife Tools and Equipment Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Knife , 2012.1.45,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/178401. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2012.1.45 Title Knife Classification Tools and Equipment Work Type knife Date 8th century BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe Period Iron Age Culture Italic Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/178401 Physical Descriptions Medium Copper alloy Technique Hammered Dimensions 11.32 x 1.28 cm (4 7/16 x 1/2 in.) Technical Details Technical Observations: The patina is dark green with areas of light green over black. There are also some black copper sulfide crystals that resulted from post-excavation storage conditions. A few parallel chatter marks from polishing or later cleaning are visible. The blade was fashioned by hammering out a piece of metal to create an edge. The tip is somewhat worn and might be rounded from use or perhaps broken. The surface retains a polished finish, which may in part be due to waxing. Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2011) Provenance Recorded Ownership History The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (before 1970-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University Accession Year 2012 Object Number 2012.1.45 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums This knife has one edge and a curved, undulating shape. The metal thins toward the edge and the point. The tang is short and rectangular in section and may be broken. The small size of the knife and the thinness of the blade suggest that it might have been used for personal or ritual purposes. A similar knife is known from Bologna and dated to the 8th century BCE (1). The handle of the Bologna example forms a ring, as do many others of this type. NOTES: 1. Bennaci-Caprara, grave 34; see F.-W. von Hase, Die Trensen der Früheisenzeit in Italien, Prähistorische Bronzefunde 16.1 (Munich, 1969) 10, no. 24-25, pl. 5.A.19. See also M. Garsson, ed., Une histoire d’alliage: Les bronzes antiques des réserves du Musée d’Archéologie Méditerranéenne, exh. cat. (Marseille, 2004) 36, nos. 33-36. Lisa M. Anderson Publication History John Crawford, Sidney Goldstein, George M. A. Hanfmann, John Kroll, Judith Lerner, Miranda Marvin, Charlotte Moore, and Duane Roller, Objects of Ancient Daily Life. A Catalogue of the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection Belonging to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, ed. Jane Waldbaum, Department of the Classics (unpublished manuscript, 1970), M128, p. 187-88 [J. S. Crawford] Subjects and Contexts Ancient Bronzes Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
