Daggers are known as the history’s most infamous tools. For so many centuries, these short, double-edged blades have been in use for close combat battles. As examples, we can quote how St. Peter used a dagger to slice the ear of a Roman soldier when Jesus was arrested. Then we have the example of Caesar being stabbed 23 times by his closest ally, where a dagger was used to perform the act of stabbing. For a long time now, daggers have existed as a secondary tool for defense. As of now, it has become an indispensable collector’s item.
Origin
The daggers are an evolution is based on the prehistoric tools that were made of flint, bone or ivory. A fully developed dagger came into being in the Bronze and Copper Ages. This was the era when the pliable metals were being mined. These were meant as backup weapons for maces, javelins, and
axes.
Early Era
The daggers took on the form of precision-decorated work of art during the Renaissance era. These daggers were adorned with opulent stones and baroque patterns. The nobles only usually owned these. Even the early Egyptians had their daggers lavishly decorated, used mainly for ceremonial purposes.
Modern Warfare
As firearms made their descent, daggers lost some of their importance and popularity. Nevertheless, they were used in the trench warfare conditions. These situations were where a small band of soldiers surprise-attacked the opposing armies. As the time approached World War II, daggers lost their military value, but they were still used for cooking, cleaning and first aid by the soldiers. The cutting ability of the daggers was quite exceptional; therefore, they were used alongside the
Bowie knives in order to cut through the glass. The Nazi commanders and the elite soldiers used daggers; they used to wear them as a part of their military uniform.
Symbolism
The dagger has quite a contradictory symbolism. Because of its small size and ability to be hidden, it is symbolized as a weapon of treachery and duplicity. On the contrary, because of its close-range combat use, it is symbolized as a sign of bravery.
Collecting
Nowadays, we find countless dagger collectors around the world. The most popular daggers are the survival daggers, antique daggers, fantasy daggers and the medieval daggers. These daggers represent the daggers that were used in the past. We no longer see daggers used outside of the combats of the armed forces. But even now daggers are considered a functional tool. It certainly has a rich history! This is the biggest factor that appeals to the collectors.
