Knife Part
Unknown Artist
2500–1500 BCE; 4th–7th century CE
Medium
Flint (?)
Dimensions
Overall: 1 9/16 x 9/16 x 3/16 in. (4 x 1.4 x 0.5 cm)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Stone
Culture
Frankish
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.191.111
Art Historical Context
This petite "Knife Part," crafted from flint, measures just 1 9/16 x 9/16 x 3/16 inches, a testament to the ingenuity of ancient toolmaking. Likely a blade fragment from a larger knife, its smooth, worked surfaces suggest skilled knapping techniques—chipping and pressure-flaking stone to create sharp edges. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Medieval Art Department and classified as miscellaneous stone, it reflects the enduring utility of prehistoric materials in later eras. Dating spans two intriguing periods: originally from 2500–1500 BCE, during the Bronze Age when flint tools were...