Neolithic/Bronze age flint Dagger - 12.2 cm

Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age Flint Dagger

Culture / Period: Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age
Date / Period: c. 2800–2400 B.C.
Material: Flint
Dimensions: 122 mm
Condition: Good condition

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 976

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the flint dagger from H.T. in Emmen, The Netherlands.

The previous owner, H.T. from Emmen, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in The Netherlands since before 1990.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
Flint daggers represent some of the most technically accomplished stone tools produced during the transition from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age. This elongated example has been carefully worked on both faces to create a pointed blade with relatively regular cutting edges. Such objects could function as knives or daggers and required considerable skill in the controlled removal of small flakes to obtain a thin and effective blade.

The production of finely worked flint daggers formed part of an organised technological tradition rather than simple expedient toolmaking. Experienced flintknappers selected suitable raw material and employed sophisticated bifacial reduction and retouching techniques. The resulting objects combined practical utility with considerable investment in craftsmanship. Some particularly well-made daggers may also have conveyed social significance or prestige, although the role of this individual example cannot be determined without an archaeological context.

During the late 3rd millennium B.C., flint daggers circulated across northern and north-western Europe at a time when metalworking was becoming increasingly important. Flint nevertheless remained a highly effective and valued material. Daggers and high-quality flint travelled through regional and long-distance exchange networks, reflecting contacts between prehistoric communities and the movement of both raw materials and technological traditions.

Dating to approximately 2800–2400 B.C., this dagger belongs to a period of significant technological and social change at the end of the Neolithic and beginning of the Bronze Age. Its carefully worked blade provides a tangible connection to the specialised craftsmanship and everyday material culture of European communities more than four thousand years ago.