An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c24.s3.13

v1.c24.s3.13

19.3.2 *Daggers and knives*. The dagger is a weapon with a short blade designed for thrusting and used for close hand-to-hand fighting. Generally a dagger and a knife are not distinguished from each other. However by definition a dagger is essentially a weapon with a tapering double-edged blade, whilst a knife has only one sharpened edge, but in fact it is not often easy to be precise in the identification of some specimens. The origin of the dagger and knife can be traced back to the handaxes of the Lower Palaeolithic [4.2] Age, some of which might have been used for thrusting apart as for skinning and digging. The handaxe has as a rule a sharp point and a jagged edge with which the primitive man could easily cut down the branches of trees and also the organs of the body of the enemy.