ANCIENT VIKING SIDE KNIFE OR POUCH KNIFE, 866-1067 AD

Danelaw England. Just under 3 3/4” total length. Straight back thick wedge section blade. Whittle tang for mounting in a wood, bone, or antler grip without a guard. These side knives were among the most treasured possessions for Vikings and if they, rather than the large seax with which they were buried. On a scale with modern pocket knives, they are weapons, suitable for throat slashing as well as organ depth thrusting attacks. East Anglia was the landing place for Viking invaders. Virtually every old town in Cambridgeshire has a recorded Viking history. Viking rule (Danelaw) was imposed in Cambridge in 878 and Soham Abbey was destroyed by Danes in 870, to mention two. Excavated and professionally conserved with much original surface remaining to both sides of the blade. With Plexiglas display easel.