ancient roman army knife...
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Sure, it's real, I've seen it before. I'm a bit puzzled as to what the heck it's doing in the news though: "The 3in x 6in (8cm x 15cm) knife was excavated from the Mediterranean area more than 20 years ago and was obtained by the museum in 1991." Must be one heck of a slow news day if they're reporting 20-year-old archaeological finds...
im always amazed at the ingenuity of the past, they have come up with a few belters, at the end of the day they can precision build pyramids wall and tombs without cad and verniers so no reason to not think that this was possible back then although i doubt something that complex would be handed out to every tom dick and harry in the centurion regiment but maybe some special temple use or other?
it is the daily mail, i guess there are no kids to demonise this weekend.
the knife must have been a very gucci bit of kit for that era though. I picture the roman bushcrafter out there with his/ her RKA and 4x4 chariot.
The Mail are probably picking up on this earlier BBC piece about the refurbishment of the The Fitzwilliam Museum.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8485654.stm
The above BBC link features a nice slide show of some of the other exhibits they have there.
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forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
The article states it was a luxuary item (silver, etc). My guess -- out of the blue -- would be something a well off young man could have commissioned (or have recieved as a gift) before going off to serve in the legions or trade, perhaps as his fathers representative in some far off godforsaken backwater, such as Londonium or Lutetia Parisiorum. The same as getting a waterproof shell for an iPhone, a titianium folding spork or collapsilble titanium chopsticks before going off to "bum around asia with a backpack for a few months".
As to why the thing is in the paper: if there was a new exhibition some reporter must go and look, and the item caught his or her fancy.
some folk are never happy, the daily mail gets slagged for its exagarated horror stories, so when they publish a bit of interesting culture, still not good enough....
I'd never seen the thing before any way.
I'd never seen the thing before any way. 
Don't knock the Romans for there technology, they invented indoor plumbing and concrete when the ancient Britons were still living in mud huts. If it weren't for the fact that they had slaves to do every thing for them they might well have got round to inventing the steam engine too.
Unless you're meaning plumbum, that was the Minoans
.I think their reliance on imports, massive bureaucracy and a silly foreign policy would have scuppered them long before they could steal enough technology to build a practical steam engine. Oh wait, it did... Ah well, glad we learned from their mistakes. Oh wait...
The single, significant point of this particular 'newspaper' publishing this article, is that (seemingly unwittingly!) they have published a positive article on knives!
we've got a thread on that knife over on BB as well
http://www.britishblades.com/forums...-A-Roman-SAK&highlight=roman+swiss+army+knife
good to have a bit of positive press on knives for a change. Also makes a change for the Mail to write something about knives that isn't pure fabrication!
http://www.britishblades.com/forums...-A-Roman-SAK&highlight=roman+swiss+army+knife
good to have a bit of positive press on knives for a change. Also makes a change for the Mail to write something about knives that isn't pure fabrication!
I looks a useful tool. spoon and fork for eating and knife blade for everyday tasks (you can tell iron from the rust) tooth pick, scraper for cleaning themselves (they used to oil themselves then scrape it off) spike for getting stone from shoes (both human and horse)
Compare with the modern Swiss army knife? it certainly cover jobs required for the day, and small and compacted but with the main part made of silver it wouldn't have been cheep
Compare with the modern Swiss army knife? it certainly cover jobs required for the day, and small and compacted but with the main part made of silver it wouldn't have been cheep
LOL and hitler gave us autobahns too..... Imperial rome was a fascist dictatorship with a "demi god" emperor to answer to. They ruthlessly colonised europe (and beyond) for slaves, taxes and for material resources. Their idea of entertainment was watching men kill each other, or watching animals attack people. Right bunch of sadistic looney tunes I reckon......
Imperial rome was a fascist dictatorship with a "demi god" emperor to answer to. They ruthlessly colonised europe (and beyond) for slaves, taxes and for material resources. Their idea of entertainment was watching men kill each other, or watching animals attack people. Right bunch of sadistic looney tunes I reckon......
Ah, so thats where the punters at the footie ground go when they exit via the vomitory!
I quite like the Romans.
Theu were one of the first societies to have labour laws, though that isnt very roamic so most historians overlook it.
And they traded with India extensivley.
(they eventualy made contact with China.)
I quite like the Romans.
Theu were one of the first societies to have labour laws, though that isnt very roamic so most historians overlook it.
And they traded with India extensivley.
(they eventualy made contact with China.)
