Dagger and sheath

Miraveche-Monte Bernorio dagger sheath consisting of an iron body with a chape of four discs and decorative silver and copper damascene. The body of the sheath is cinched at the bottom; at the top, the flared mouth has a sheet-metal tab.
Miraveche-Monte Bernorio daggers are small weapons (between 170 and 277 mm long) produced primarily in the fourth and third centuries BC in a particular area of the central and western plateau. Made of forged iron, they are characterised by the shape of their scabbard chapes and their decoration, as many of them have damascened (inlaid silver and copper threads) geometric patterns on the scabbard, pommel, guard and/or baldric. Making them required a high level of knowledge and skill, which may be why their presence is limited to a specific area and timeframe, becoming coveted status symbols.
Baldrics primarily appear among the grave goods of elite warriors. Although their small size does not necessarily mean they could not be wielded as weapons, these pieces would have had great symbolic value as a sign of their owner’s prestige.
This piece from Sasamón was purchased from Manuel Gómez Moreno and entered the museum in 1958.