Gammadion hilt dagger

Sacrificial knife

The Gammadion hilt dagger[1] (in Italian: Pugnale ad elsa gammata) is a type of bronze dagger typical of the Nuragic civilization in Sardinia. It owes its name to the inverted gamma-shaped handle. Used for animal sacrifices, they are widespread in Nuragic sanctuaries. [1]

They are dated to the early Iron Age and are often represented in the Nuragic bronze statuettes on men's chests; according to some scholars they appeared as early as the Late Bronze Age.[2] It was a weapon with a strong symbolic value, a sign of belonging to the social body.

Gallery

  • Gammadion hilt daggers from Su Benatzu, Santadi. National Archaeological Museum, Cagliari
    Gammadion hilt daggers from Su Benatzu, Santadi. National Archaeological Museum, Cagliari
  • Chief with gammadion hilt daggers on his chest, Fluminimaggiore, Antas
    Chief with gammadion hilt daggers on his chest, Fluminimaggiore, Antas
  • The "mother of the killed" bronze statuette from Urzulei, the young man has a gammadion hilt dagger on his chest
    The "mother of the killed" bronze statuette from Urzulei, the young man has a gammadion hilt dagger on his chest
  • Prince with a gammadion hilt dagger, Torralba
    Prince with a gammadion hilt dagger, Torralba

Notes

  1. ^ a b Dagger with a gammadion hilt (Nuraghic complex of Albucciu), retrieved 3 January 2024
  2. ^ MiBACT, Il pugnale ad elsa gammata nella civiltà nuragica (in Italian), retrieved 3 January 2024

Bibliography

  • Nadia Canu, Antonella Fois, Il pugnale ad elsa gammata nella civiltà nuragica Nuove attestazioni iconografiche da contesti santuariali, 2016