Roman Pugio Dagger with Inlaid Hilt

The Pugio is a type of Roman dagger used from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE.

A short and broad triangular blade with blood letting fullers either side, each forming the two long sides of a triangle; fitted with a bronze lower quillon guard and a pommel with two openwork crescents, the iron grip inlaid with flat bronze strip forming a complex geometric pattern with bosses; Iberian workmanship. 420 grams, 30.5cm (12""). Very fine condition. Rare.

Provenance
From an important English collection; acquired in the 1990s.

Footnotes
The dagger used by the Roman soldier, or legionary, was called a pugio; a last-ditch stabbing weapon brandished in hand-to-hand combat, also used to eliminate guards or sentries in a night attack. Only high-rank officers and dignitaries owned pugio daggers with ornamented hilts with silver or copper inlays.