Roman dagger “Pugio”, Type Period I – Roman Republic, 1st century BC
Roman iron military dagger identified by the Your Antiquarian source as a Dagger “Pugio”, Type Period I, dated to the Roman Republic, 1st century BC, measuring 300 × 60 × 15 mm and documented by digital X-ray. The provenance stated by the source connects the object to a former American art gallery and the former Emeritus collection in the United States, assembled from the 1950s to the 1980s by a university professor who held senior academic positions. The piece is therefore important on two levels: typological, because it belongs to the vocabulary of late Republican and early Roman military equipment; documentary, because the source mentions imaging, a meaningful tool for assessing archaeological iron.
The pugio is not a generic ancient knife. In Roman military culture it was a short weapon worn with the soldier’s equipment, while also carrying a status dimension. The British Museum notes, for a Roman dagger and sheath from Hod Hill, that such daggers could be used in battle if the sword was lost, but were also probably connected with prestige. This double function explains the collecting strength of the type: it is at once close-combat weapon, marker of military identity and material witness to a world where discipline, political violence and civic status were embodied in metal.
Analysis & expertise
The phrase “Type Period I” is central. It points to the earlier forms of the Roman pugio, linked to the transition between the late Republic and the formation of the imperial army. The commercial source cites Saliola & Casprini, Pugio – Gladius brevis est: History and technology of the Roman battle dagger, BAR International Series 2404, p. 12, fig. A1 & B1. This matters: the attribution is not merely a sales label, but is tied to a published typology of the Roman short fighting dagger.
Assessment must begin with the material. Ancient iron is rarely neutral: corrosion, concretions, surface loss, internal fractures and oxide stratification govern what can be read. The digital X-ray mentioned by the source is therefore significant. It can help document the continuity of the blade, internal survival and possible interruptions invisible on the surface. It does not replace metallography, but it is a higher level of observation than ordinary photography.
The dimensions, 300 mm long and 60 mm wide, indicate a compact but forceful weapon, designed primarily for thrusting. The breadth of the blade and the short module correspond to the logic of the Roman military dagger: rigidity, penetration and use at close quarters. Its historical value lies in the intersection between weapon technology, the soldier’s body and the political culture of the late Republic.
Technical characteristics
Object: Roman dagger, pugio type. Source type: Period I. Culture: Roman. Source dating: Roman Republic, 1st century BC. Material: iron. Dimensions: 300 × 60 × 15 mm. Source condition: good condition. Source documentation: digital X-ray. Source provenance: former American art gallery; former Emeritus collection, USA, assembled from the 1950s to the 1980s by a university professor. Antikarts reference: YA-13892. Source price: EUR 6,900. Antikarts price: EUR 10,350 incl. VAT.
Historical context
The 1st century BC was among the most violent periods of Roman history: civil wars, professionalization of the army, the rise of great commands, transformation of equipment and a new military identity. In this context the pugio belongs to the material culture of the Roman soldier. It was not merely a secondary weapon; it was worn on the body and visually connected to military status.
The dagger also has a symbolic place in Roman imagination. Short, close and personal, it naturally became associated with decisive acts and political violence. Without linking the Antikarts example to any specific event, the type belongs to a world in which the boundary between military sidearm and civic crisis could be culturally charged.
Museum comparisons & research
The primary source is the Your Antiquarian record for the Roman dagger “Pugio” Type Period I with digital X-ray, which provides material, dimensions, provenance, dating, condition and bibliography. Museum comparison confirms the typological relevance of the pugio as a Roman military weapon: the British Museum preserves Roman daggers and related objects, including the Hod Hill dagger and sheath, dated to the 1st century AD and explicitly connected with legionary equipment and prestige.
The comparison with Hod Hill and related museum examples does not imply that the Antikarts object shares provenance with them. It situates the object family: a short soldier’s weapon, often associated with a sheath, belonging to the corpus of Roman military equipment. The Saliola & Casprini bibliography cited by the source is directly useful for the morphology and chronology of the Period I type.
Cultural value & collecting interest
For collectors of ancient arms or Roman militaria, an early-type pugio is historically dense. It combines archaeological iron, military typology, the image of the Roman soldier and the political violence of the late Republic. The digital X-ray documentation further strengthens the object’s seriousness, moving it beyond simple stylistic attribution.
NB: Presentation elements visible in photographs are not included unless otherwise stated. This notice is based on the preserved commercial source, the provenance stated there, the cited bibliography and typological museum comparisons.
