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Ancient Craft - Dr. James Dilley
The pinnacle of prehistoric European flintknapping?
Found on the Danish island of Fænø around 1876 this
stunning flint dagger was owned by Hindsgavl Manor
on Funen until it was purchased by the National
Museum of Denmark.
Known as the "Hindsgavl Dagger", it features on
the 100 krone note.It is believed to date from
2400-1800BC based on similar examples which
are known as fish-tail type IV daggers. They come
from a period at the end of Stone Age when status
was shown by the quality of the dagger you owned
or could be buried with. There are suggestions
these late Neolithic daggers were imitations of the
earliest metal examples already in circulation.
There would have been few metalworkers at this
time so their work was very valuable. However
there would have been just as few (if not fewer)
flintknappers who could have produced work as
fine as the Hindsgavl Dagger.
To create the dagger, a large piece of flint would
have been shaped with hammerstones into a
roughout before it was refined with antler hammers
into a dagger blank. Pressure flaking may have been
started to create the final blade shape before it was
ground smooth. With a smooth surface, rippling
flakes could have been detached. The stitching effect
on the handle would have been achieved by pressure
flaking and indirect punchwork.