Quote:IIRC this dagger is in the University Art Museum at Princeton? :?:

It is brass inlay on iron.

Quote:What is its period?

Quote:

Quote:What is its period?

As with most Type 'A' daggers (inlaid iron sheath) it would be early to mid first Century John.

Quote:Your query about our Roman pugio was forwarded to me. It was acquired from a dealer in 1999, and nothing more is known about its provenance. The accession number is 1999-148. An image was published in the Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University, vol. 59 (2000) page 95. It also appeared in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts (March 2000) page 40, no. 159. It is otherwise unpublished. The iron blade is rusted in place inside the scabbard, which is inlaid with gold, silver, and niello, as are the hilt and pommel. It is 29.2 cm. long and 5.8 cm. wide at the hilt. The signature of the maker was inlaid in silver letters on the back of the hilt, but some letters have fallen out, and the corrosion makes an accurate reading difficult: _ O N L L I V S E C _ _ _ I E R F E C I T This has been interpreted as possibily reading "Honillius made it." Such daggers date primarily to the 1st century, but into the second. Most come from the northern Provinces: Gaul, Germany, Britain. For more on pugios of this type, see M. Bishop and J. Coulston, Roman Military Equipment (1991) 74ff; and G. Ulbert, Gaius Antonius, der Meister des silbertauschierten Dolches von Oberammergau (1971). Should you wish to puerchase a photograph, please contact Karen Richter ( [email protected] ).
Sincerely,
Michael Padgett

J. Michael Padgett, Ph.D.
Curator of Ancient Art
Princeton University Art Museum
Princeton, NJ 08544

Quote:But still, no idea as to whether it is early first century or late first century.