Excavations of Bronze Age “warrior graves” throughout Europe have nearly always led to the recovery of copper alloy Bronze Age daggers. However, their function has been poorly understood. It has long been speculated that they, in fact, didn’t serve any practical purpose and were symbols of status and identity. Now, a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports has suggested that they served a functional purpose and were used to butcher and carve animal carcasses.
Bronze Age Daggers: Symbolic or Functional?
Daggers first made their appearance in prehistoric Europe in the fourth millennium BC. They were made of either flint or copper alloy depending on the availability of raw material. From the second millennium BC, flint daggers had been almost entirely overwhelmed by copper-alloy Bronze Age daggers.
With an almost ubiquitous presence in male burials or “warrior graves” that were plentifully furnished with weapons, some archaeologists have argued that Bronze Age daggers lacked any functional purpose and were simply markers of identity and status. This non-functionality has been attributed to them because copper alloys are weak metals. Moreover, the daggers were thought to have design flaws that inhibited any practical use. However, other archaeologists have suggested that they were used as weapons or craft tools, reports a Newcastle University press release .
