Circa 100 BCCast iron, the handle formed of two sections, held together by joints inserted into discs at the centre and pommel, the blade of tapering form with median midrib, the scabbard of "frame-type" with one open side and the other decorated with double-spiral motifs and openwork panels. A remarkable survival, this shortarm dagger is of Iberian construction, but the shape later became more famous as the Roman pugio, the standard issue legionnaires sidearm. It was when campaigning against the Celtiberians in the first century BC that the Roman form first came into widespread use, suggesting the Roman army appreciated the strengths of the native weapon. Interestingly the decorative square and teardrop shaped cavities on the sheath of the present example have been patched with metal in ancient times. Perhaps to better guard the iron blade from the effects of wet weather. Size: Set of 2: L:210 - 307mm / W:53 - 54mm; 255g Provenance: Private UK collection; formerly with Axel Guttman, Germany.