Roman Knife Handles in the North Western Provinces

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This project proposes a study of Roman folding knife handles (Klappmessergriffe) as culturally significant objects. The majority are copper alloy, but some interesting examples are found in bone, ivory and antler (McSloy, 2006, 6). Despite being presumably functional objects, the handles are often intricately carved or cast with complex figurative designs and can be the star find of an excavation (Ridegway et al front cover); they are portable art objects (depicting animals, gods, and erotic scenes) as much as functional tools. The last synthesis was published by Eugen von Mercklin (1940) but this is both difficult to access and very out-dated. There is a huge new corpus from both excavation and metal detecting (227 copper alloy Roman knife handles currently awaiting validation from the Portable Antiquities Scheme) but most publications focus on single examples discussed with vague references to others. There is a limited understanding of their distribution (spatially and over time), the variety of types and iconography, and their relationship to expressions of identity. They are also easy to misinterpret unless the blade or folding mechanism has been preserved in the handle, and a new reference work will be useful to professional archaeologists.The main aim of this project is to produce a detailed corpus of an important but previously neglected artefact category. Having gathered this information, it will then explore their social, cultural and symbolic significance.The main research questions will be: what is the distribution of folding knife handles and what type of sites is are they found on? Where there is good contextual information for the find it will then explore what this suggests about the social and cultural context for use. What is the nature and significance of the iconography? The project will explore how folding knife handles relate to other forms of figurative art and what models can be identified. How did folding knife handles express personal or cultural identity, especially where they have been deposited as grave goods? It will also question the potentially ritual and symbolic nature of the motifs. The first task of the project will be to accurately record examples found in the provinces of Britain, Belgic Gaul, and the Germanies from publications, museum collections, the Portable Antiquities Scheme, and artefacts.mom.fr. This information will be compiled into a database and used to establish the distribution of these objects across time and space. It will also analyse the nature of the sites where knife handles are found, examining the specific context and associations to establish the social context in which folding knives were being used. Some regional case studies will allow comparison between provinces and communities.The second strand of the project will be to analyse the iconography. The motif of the hound and hare is well known, but there are many other designs including horses, gods, gladiators, and leopards, which warrant more investigation. A typology will be created, and the distribution and iconography of designs explored. The project will then explore the potential sources of the images translated into knife handles and how they have been adapted to fit the new media. The project will also explore the symbolic significance of the designs, particularly for examples found in ritual contexts and burials (e.g. Ridgeway et al, 2013). The result will be an insight into the use of imagery in the provinces, and where folding knife handles fit in Roman art and society.ReferencesMcSloy, E (2003), 'A zoomorphic clasp knife handle from Gloucester', Lucerna 26, 6-7Von Mercklin E. (1940), 'Romische Klappmessergriffe' in Serta Hofilleriana, Viestnik Hrvatskoga arheoloskoga drustva NS 18-21, 339-52Ridgeway, V, Leary, K, Sudds, B (2013), Roman Burials in Southwark, Pre-Construct Archaeology Limited monograph 17