Hobbies And Interests
Function
Roman folding knives, which were brought to Britain 2,000 years ago, were used as both tools and cutlery. At meals, knives could be used to cut and spear food. Folding knives were used by Romans eating on the go, since they could be stored in pouches, and by those attending dinner parties at poorer homes that might not have spare utensils to go around. Too, folding knives would have been indispensable to those uncomfortable sharing utensils. Sometimes, these knives were fitted with spoon handles, which could also be used as utensils when the blade was unfolded from the handle.
Identification
Regular straight knives with fixed blades have been in use since the Stone Age, but folding knives are unique to digs dating back to Roman times. The Roman knife can be recognized not by its materials, which are also used in straight knives from other periods, but by its hinge design. Folding knives were made without springs, and without "nail nick" grooves that open the blade in other folding knife styles. When open, the back of the knife blade lays against a metal piece at the front of the handle that keeps it from flopping back in the other direction. The knives are kept open almost solely by friction.
Features
Most folding knife blades were made from iron or from a copper alloy such as bronze, while the handles were made from bone, ivory, hard stone and bronze. Bronze blades and handles from the time are in better condition than the others, since bone deteriorates and iron rusts. These narrow, elegant handles were often well-decorated and shaped into various aspects of Roman life. Some common depictions include gods, animals, lovers, gladiators, wrestlers, zoomorphs and lone body parts. One well-known knife blade style depicts a greyhound chasing a rabbit, as representative of hunting. Plainer handles were decorated with file work and piercing designs.
History
When the Romans left Britain, use of the folding knife declined until Scandinavian invaders brought them back, infused with their own cultural markers, such as handle designs depicting birds of prey. Soon, brass-handled medieval folding knives were developed using a half-moon shape in the tradition of the folding razor, and were held open by lugs. At this time, some poorer people made their own crude folding knives out of broken straight knives, while craftsmen fashioned complex knives after classical Roman images and incorporated Gothic styles. Folding knives went out of style again until resurfacing in the 17th century as ornate "puzzle knives" that were locked shut by combination locks and secret removable locking pins. The style of folding knife developed by the Romans disappeared completely with the invention of the spring-back folding knife in the mid-17th century.
Considerations
Like other artifacts from classical antiquity, real Roman folding knives are not easy for the average person to find. Most real artifacts are in the possession of museums, universities, rich private collectors and archaeologists, and would be very expensive to acquire. Any affordable Roman folding knife on the market is likely a reproduction, or in rare cases, a stolen artifact. Collectors and enthusiasts should exercise caution and use their best judgment to determine the origin of items, and may be better off buying directly from reproduction companies. Some knife enthusiasts choose to make their own Roman folding knives using materials and methods the Romans themselves would have used.