Hindsgavl Dagger

The dagger was discovered in 1867 by a little boy in a field on the island of Fænø, then part of the Hindsgavl Manor. When he saw it, he shouted to his mother, "look, mum, what a beautiful stone!". The estate manager, who was standing nearby, bought the dagger from the boy for a daler and gifted it to the owner of the estate. In 1889, when Paris was both hosting the Exposition Universelle and an archeological congress, Denmark contributed to an exhibition of archeological artefacts. However, since the National Museum of Denmark under Danish law was not allowed to loan out its objects, Denmark could only send copies and artefacts from private collections. The owner of Hindsgavl Manor, Basse Fønss, agreed to loan out the Hindsgavl Dagger. Sophus Müller, director of the National Museum, was so impressed with it that he convinced Fønss to deposit it in the museum on a permanent basis. After Fønss's death in 1922, the museum purchased it from his heirs.[1]

The Hindsgavl Dagger was made of flint in around 1900–1800 BC.[2] It is 29.5 cm (11.6 in) long and has a blade thickness of less than 1 cm (0.39 in). It is an example of a so-called fishtail dagger, named for the shape of the handle. The design was inspired by imported bronze daggers, which had already started to appear on the Scandinavian market. Production of flint daggers continued well into the Nordic Bronze Age.[3]

The Hindsgavl Dagger is featured on the Bank of Denmark 2009 series 100-krone banknote.[4]

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  Side view
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• Etting, Vivian: The Story of the Drinking Horn – Drinking Culture in Scandinavia during the Middle Ages,Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2013.

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