RARE Judaea DAGGER Bronze Age Bronze Dirk Holy Land Artifact - Circa 1200 BC For Sale

Ancient Canaanite Middle Bronze Age Riveted Dagger Heel / Blade Fragment (~10 cm)

Authenticity & Guarantee

• Provenance: Ex-private European collection, legally acquired from international sales; Middle Bronze Age Levantine / Canaanite sphere.

Item Specifications

• Object: Cast Bronze Dagger Heel / Riveted Tang Blade Fragment

• Culture / Period: Middle Bronze Age I–II (Canaanite / Ancient Levant)

• Date Range: Circa 2000 BC – 1650 BC

• Dimensions: ~9.0 cm – 10.5 cm length (Heavy Cast Tang with 4 Pierced Rivet Holes)

• Material: Heavy Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy)

• Form & Architecture: Tapering trapezoidal heel featuring a pronounced central architectural midrib flanked by four clean, hot-punched rivet holes (two pairs) engineered to pin bone, wood, or other handle scales securely to the bronze tang; blade body tapers downward from the hilt junction

• Condition: Exceptional archaeological preservation. All four rivet holes complete and uncracked, prominent midrib structure preserved under a heavy desert-tan, sand-gold, and reddish-cuprite mineral patina with malachite undertones.

Historical Context & Middle Bronze Age Armaments

Canaanite Four-Rivet Dagger Engineering

During the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–1650 BC), Levantine bronze smiths developed sophisticated riveted daggers (dirks) that served as primary sidearms for Canaanite warriors and officers. The presence of four symmetry-punched rivet holes at the squared tang allowed organic handle plates (crafted from cattle bone, cedar, or hippopotamus bome) to be locked onto the bronze spine with copper pins, absorbing heavy impact shock during close-quarters combat (Ref: Kenyon, Armor and Weapons in Bronze Age Palestine, Levant, 1969; Philip, Metal Weapons of the Early and Middle Bronze Ages in Syria-Palestine, BAR International Series, 1989).

Tactical Midrib Architecture

The raised central ridge running down the length of the blade provided maximum longitudinal rigidity, preventing the cast bronze alloy from bending under thrusting pressure. Weapon fragments featuring intact four-hole tang architecture are prized study pieces representing early Near Eastern metallurgy.

Typological Analysis & Exact Classification

Exact Typological Classification

• Primary Class: Middle Bronze Age Riveted Dagger Heel / Tang

• Sub-Class: Canaanite Four-Rivet Midrib Type (MB I–II Class)

Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers

• Israel Museum, Jerusalem (IAA Collection): Middle Bronze Age four-rivet bronze dagger blades from Jericho warrior tombs.

• British Museum (Accession No. 1969,0212.1): Canaanite bronze dagger tang with four rivet holes, c. 1800 BC.

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