Daggers Found In Shaft Graves During The Bronze Age

The ornamental daggers of the late bronze age found in the shaft graves at Mycenae, that date between 1550, and 1500 B.C. were made by Cretans for the mainland market. Even though these daggers were made in Crete none have ever been found there. Some other places where similar daggers have been found are the island of Thera, Vapheio, Pylos, and the Argire Heraeum. This shows that there was trade among all of those places during the time period that the daggers were made. Most of the daggers were found in grave circle A at Mycenae.

How they were made

The men who made the daggers found in the shaft graves were very skilled craftsmen. They showed contrast of color and of relief with the decoration of their work. On both sides of the daggers was a slotted silver or gold plate which would be decorated before being put on. They would decorate the plates with gold, silver, copper, alloys, and another technique known as niello. Niello is a black metallic alloy of sulphur, copper, silver, and usually lead, used as an inlay on engraved metal. It is considered painting in metal. The metal surface is brushed with a borax solution as a flux to help distribute the heat evenly, dusted with powdered niello, then heated. After cooling, the surface is scraped and shows a black pattern in the incised lines. The Egyptians are credited with originating niello decoration, which was practiced in classical times, spread throughout Europe during the middle ages, and came into high repute in the 15th century(Encyclopedia Britannica). Even though Egypt came up with the idea, you must note that it is native work, and not merely an imported article. (Web page, 7) The attitude of the figures and of the lions, and the form of the cat, are such as no Egyptian would have executed.(Web page, 7) After the plates were decorated, they used rivets rather than a soldering technique to put the parts together. They also used the technique of inlaying on the daggers when adding the gold portions. They would cut a narrow strip of gold from a thin sheet. Then they would make undercuts and dovetails wherever the gold would be going. After that they would then put the strip of gold over the undercuts, and use a hammer and a small wedge to bang the gold in.

Decorations used on the daggers

Out of all the decoration seen on these daggers, the lion is the most used. Other forms such as gazelles, human figures, ducks, leopards, dolphins, fish, grass, and rocks, are also shown on some of the daggers. All of the lions on the daggers, share broad planes, flame like locks of hair, and mask-like faces. But why were lions used so frequently on these daggers? One reason is that the lions convey great power and spirit (Younger). Emily Vermuele had another thought when she said, lions were not difficult for the goldsmiths to make, since the contours are standard and the inner details are simplified"(Vermeule).She thought that it may have been because the lion figures were easier to make than others. On one dagger, three gold lions seem to be running down the sword. Their figures are accentuated by the outlining of niello around their edges. On another dagger, a herd of gazelles is being attacked by a lion. He catches one near the hilt of the sword, as the others run away. One of the gazelles seems to be looking back in fear. On another part, four men with shields, bows, and spears, attack three lions. Two of the lions seem to be escaping down the side of the dagger, but it looks like the third, has killed one hunter, and is going after the rest. On another dagger, is a scene of leopards hunting ducks by a river with fish, and a border of papyrus. These designs weren't put on these daggers for no reason. The dagger shows a very sophisticated narration. In both scenes the aggressor attacks from the hilt of the dagger, while the attacked is depicted toward the tip of the blade. The composition thus stands as a metaphor for the use of the dagger itself (Younger). Besides all of the figures on the daggers, there has been some ornamental daggers found without figures on them. One of these daggers used a spiral pattern made with niello.

Why the Daggers were made and how they were used

The use of these daggers is not definitely known, but there are many speculations. One thought is that they were used for sacrificial or religious purposes. Some people think this because the daggers are so well made, made with precious metals, and took so long to make. Others think that they may have been used in combat by the higher ranking people. They think this because the daggers were definitely strong enough to be used in battle and were made with metals that could withstand