Unusual medieval skene dhu

[George N. M.]

Here is an interesting link regarding an unusual small dagger found in Scotland.  http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/60147#comments There is mention of C14 dating which must have been done on the scabbard.  You can read it an make your own conclusions.  The condition and style just don't seem 13th century to me but who am I to argue with C14 analysis.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."  

[Welshj]

A very cool find no doubt!

[Frosty]

Interesting article George, thank you for the link. 

The comments make much of justifying the blade and fleur-de-lis to the time carbon dating places the scabbard. Not being the history buff some of my friends are I wonder if some reasonably well to do foreign traveler, maybe a trader weren't robbed and this knife overlooked under his bleeding body. I'm wondering if he wasn't much different than I and bought or traded for the knife because he liked it and there's zero significance to the pommel.

I'm thinking it may not be a skean dubh at all and heck, that scabbard may be hundreds of years younger than the blade. Maybe it's a, Phoenician, pheasant, pither, favored by  Phoenician and Atlandean nobility for dispatching and spatchcocking pheasant for supper. Yeah, shucking oysters is more likely. 

Yeah, I'm being silly, so stab me. I guarantee a 3" bade is more than enough to make me shut up. After all the screaming and crying that is.

Frosty The Lucky.