If you want to use this site please update your browser!
CATALOG
0 0
  • $
  • C$
  • £
  • $
  • C$
  • £
07.07.2021

Folding knife handle in the form of a hound biting a hare

A partially preserved Roman knife made of copper alloy and iron takes the shape of a hare and a hound. The handle remains intact and features a stylized depiction of a hound chasing a sprinting hare. It is mounted on a solid rod with a groove running lengthwise at the base where the knife blade would have been attached. The animals exhibit elongated limbs, with the hound's snout near the hare's tail. The hare sports long, triangular ears folded back, while the hound, appearing large and in full stride, extends its front legs forward, cocks its ears, and arches its lengthy tail. The flat, rectangular end of the handle displays vertical protrusions at both ends. Traces of an iron blade, held in place by an iron rivet through the handle, can be observed between the hind legs of the hound and within the slot beneath the handle.

These motifs are highly stylized and might have gone unnoticed if more realistic examples of similar objects had not been discovered elsewhere. Although the blade was made of iron, it has largely corroded due to being buried in the ground for over 1,500 years.

This knife handle was unearthed in a burial site within Winchester's northern Roman cemetery. Its age exceeds 45 years, and the gender of the individual buried with it could not be determined from the skeletal remains. However, such items are typically associated with male burials. A comparable Roman knife was also discovered alongside other Roman artifacts intentionally interred as grave offerings in an Anglo-Saxon grave at Worthy Park. Both items are currently on display at the City Museum, with this one showcased in the Venta Gallery and the Worthy Park item exhibited in the Wintancester Gallery.

UP