Dr Steven Snape on the Soldier’s Dagger

Here Dr Steven Snape takes a closer look at the dagger from the Garstang Museum of Archaeology.

Compare Steven’s approach to your own. It is interesting to hear Steven speak, as he goes through the possibilities of what this weapon could be used for. It is strong but light, so could have been used in battle against unarmed soldiers. It is also very ornate, and this leads Steven to think that it may have been used more as a ceremonial weapon, away from the battlefield.

The process that Steven goes through is familiar to all archaeologists, that of looking at clues and slotting together what is known to arrive at the function of an object.

I hope you enjoyed engaging with this object, researching possibilities and questioning interpretations. There will be other opportunities in this course to use the same method of archaeological enquiry to surmise what various objects from the ancient near east were used for.