An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c24.s3.24

v1.c24.s3.24

A bone handle piece with a decoration of grooves on bands in relief has been found in the excavations at MAHESHWAR and NAVDATOLI and is datable to *c.* 400 to 100 B.C. It is 9·9 cm long and has a diameter of 2·8 cm and 1·8 cm. It might have served as a handle for a miniature dagger which had a round and tapering tang. A single specimen of what appears to be a dagger pendant has been found in Pd VI of NAVDATOLI. The find shows only the hilt portion of a dagger, blade not extant, and is decorated with incised irregular squares. It is 2·7 cm long and ·6 cm thick. A number of dagger-pendants of ivory and bone, all Mauryan in date, have been found at other sites (Dwivedi, 1973).