Daggers and Short Blades
Surveys close-quarter backup weapons, secondary thrusting implements, and regional knives, focusing on hilt dynamics, blade stiffening, and carry systems.
Inside this collection
European Thrusting Daggers
Covers specialized combat daggers including rondels, baselards, bollock daggers, and cinquedeas.
Parrying and Main-Gauche Blades
Examines off-hand companion daggers designed for swordplay, trap defenses, and civilian defense.
Indo-Persian Daggers
Focuses on recurved and armor-piercing forms, notably the pesh-kabz, kard, and push-dagger katar.
Southeast Asian Keris Traditions
Examines the metallurgical composition, spiritual roles, and blade contours of the keris across Maritime Southeast Asia.
Middle Eastern Curved Daggers
Explores traditional hooked blades including the jambiya, khanjar, and koummya from North Africa to Oman.
East Asian Short Blades
Details Japanese tantō, Chinese bianshou, and related concealed or auxiliary blades.
Sub-Saharan Knives and Sickle Blades
Examines iron short blades, including central African sickle daggers, loop daggers, and throwing knives.
Circumpolar and Maritime Knives
Covers functional, multi-use knives like the scramasax, ulu, and dirk, balancing combat utility and field survival.
Legendary objects deserve
a closer reading.
We study materials, makers and surviving evidence. Legends open the question; history guides the answer.
Our approach