RomanArmyTalk

Some very interesting knife shapes in this stele of Lucius Cornelius Atimeto , a cutler/ knife maker. Some look more like a curved Arabic jambiya that a typical Roman one, and others look closer to a broken backed seax. Anyone know where this stele is from or has a better picture?

(With thanks to Legio XX Valeria Victrix's Community page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Legio-XX-V...2662935288)

Hi Paul,
this stele is on città del vaticano, musei vaticani, galleria lapidaria.
The very interesting thing is the surgeon leather kit in lower shelf.
In the roman times the best bladesmith built not only knives but also surgeon instruments.

In the top shelf are sickle, and curved blade, in the middle common shape roman knife.

Grazie Marco- I hadn't spotted the surgeons kit. You would have a bigger picture of it, would you?

Cheers

Paul

Hi Paul,
thanks, you can see a better picture here image

What surgeons kit? I just see a row of knives.
The curved/broken edge would be the cutting edge, so not like a seax.

Quote:What surgeons kit? I just see a row of knives.
The curved/broken edge would be the cutting edge, so not like a seax.

Matt,
not surgical instruments but surgeon's kit in leater bags, you can see 4 of these in this image.
Yuou can see this image that I enclose, well, when this leather bag is close the sewing compartement have the same aspect of the kit on the stele. Another reconstruction similar leather kit you can see in domus of surgeon in rimini.


[attachment=5882]IMG_00321024x768.jpg[/attachment]


And if someone want this is the bibliographic source that describe it:
"Ars medica I ferri del mestiere" By Stefano De Carolis Pag 53-54

I see them now, thanks for posting the clearer image!

Here is a Roman knife blade I have that I would consider to be a domestic type where the curve of the blade is not the cutting edge but the back edge of the blade.
[attachment=5884]easyshare371Medium.jpg[/attachment]

Bigger pic- thanks!



Sickles and scythes at the top, not curved daggers as I first thought.

Flashbacks to Asterix there with those sickles!

I have to wonder about the identification of the bundles as being surgeons' kits, mostly because I'd be surprised if these elaborate and individual kits really were bought 'off the shelf' in the manner presented. It could also simply be a case of the knife maker showing off his full range of specialised wares as well though, and I can't think what other set of craft tools would fit the bill.

Here is a another picture of a Roman knife with the extreme angled drop-point. I think this type of knife stands in its own right. There have been some threads on seax, it seems the "broken back" is known to exist on but one single knife, all other seax have a slight drop-point type blade. It is only in the large, late seax (swordlike in length) that the broken back appears.


[attachment=5886]ZwammerdamHogeBurgtgeenmaat.jpg[/attachment]

Typical seax:


[attachment=5890]Imgp2216.jpg[/attachment]


The ones with the points down in the upper display could also be coppicing hatchets. Here is a picture from the wonderfull museum of Xanten, well worth a visit!


[attachment=5888]100_0726.jpg[/attachment]

The figure on the left is clearly Atimeto, proudly wearing his citizen's toga, but who is the figure on the right? His wife? A customer? She seems to be examining his wares. Do we have a date for this stele?

It looks like a customer to me ... One hand holding an object to be purchased, the other a purse? The dress is not typical stylisch feminine, looking at the neckline, but he, what do I know of female Roman fashion ....?

Hi Robert,
the first knife that you have posted was found in military context or not?
Is very strange, usually similar hiddeng tang knife with similar bronze guard and pommel have not a similar shape blade but a pointed blade...

@Robert Matthew,
for a bladesmith build surgeon instrument were a very proud, so maybe show the kit were a reason to increas his public prestige...

The Zwammerdam blade shown is from the vicus next to the castellum, so I suppose it could be classed as civilian. It is very well done, as you can see the pommel is nicely worked and it has a bronze band where the handle meets the blade. I am thinking of doing this knife, but the picture I have does not give scale nor was size given in the description, so that is preventing that.