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→Modern use: Added clarification request. Which militaries? In what way? You can't just say "the military." |
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One of the earliest objects made of smelted iron is a dagger dating to before 2000 BC, found in a context that suggests it was treated as an ornamental object of great value. Found in a Hattic royal tomb dated about 2500 BC, at Alaca Höyük in northern Anatolia, the dagger has a smelted iron blade and a gold handle.<ref>{{cite book |title =Out of the fiery furnace: the impact of metals on the history of mankind |author =Robert Raymond |publisher =Penn State Press |year =1986 |page=[https://archive.org/details/outoffieryfurnac0000raym/page/61 61] |isbn =978-0-271-00441-9 |url =https://archive.org/details/outoffieryfurnac0000raym/page/61 }}</ref> | One of the earliest objects made of smelted iron is a dagger dating to before 2000 BC, found in a context that suggests it was treated as an ornamental object of great value. Found in a Hattic royal tomb dated about 2500 BC, at Alaca Höyük in northern Anatolia, the dagger has a smelted iron blade and a gold handle.<ref>{{cite book |title =Out of the fiery furnace: the impact of metals on the history of mankind |author =Robert Raymond |publisher =Penn State Press |year =1986 |page=[https://archive.org/details/outoffieryfurnac0000raym/page/61 61] |isbn =978-0-271-00441-9 |url =https://archive.org/details/outoffieryfurnac0000raym/page/61 }}</ref> | ||
The artisans and blacksmiths of [[Iberia]] in what is now southern Spain and southwestern France produced various iron daggers and swords of high quality from the 5th to the 3rd century BC, in ornamentation and patterns influenced by Greek, Punic (Carthaginian), and Phoenician culture.<ref name="WIS">Wise, Terence, ''Armies of the Carthaginian Wars, 265–146 BC'', London: Osprey Publishing Ltd., {{ISBN|0-85045-430-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-85045-430-7}} (1982), pp. 20–21</ref><ref> | The artisans and blacksmiths of [[Iberia]] in what is now southern Spain and southwestern France produced various iron daggers and swords of high quality from the 5th to the 3rd century BC, in ornamentation and patterns influenced by Greek, Punic (Carthaginian), and Phoenician culture.<ref name="WIS">Wise, Terence, ''Armies of the Carthaginian Wars, 265–146 BC'', London: Osprey Publishing Ltd., {{ISBN|0-85045-430-1}}, {{ISBN|978-0-85045-430-7}} (1982), pp. 20–21</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.swanhellenic.com/library/phoenicians-carthaginians-and-romans-in-southern-iberia-13715.html |title= Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans in Southern Iberia |author= Professor Simon Keay |date= 30 June 2011 |publisher= Swan Hellenic's Online Library | ||
|access-date= 7 April 2026 |url-status=dead | |||
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110907090040/http://www.swanhellenic.com/library/phoenicians-carthaginians-and-romans-in-southern-iberia-13715.html |archive-date= 7 September 2011 }} </ref> The exceptional purity of [[Iberians|Iberian]] iron and the sophisticated method of forging, which included cold hammering, produced double-edged weapons of excellent quality.<ref name="WIS"/> One can find technologically advanced designs such as folding knives rusted among the artifacts of many Second Iberian Iron Age cremation burials or in [[Roman Empire]] excavations all around Spain and the Mediterranean.<ref>De Fontcuberta, Eduardo A., ''Bandolero Blades'', Tactical-Life.com, Tactical Knives (September 2010), retrieved 13 August 2011</ref> Iberian infantrymen carried several types of iron daggers, most of them based on shortened versions of double-edged swords, but the true Iberian dagger had a triangular-shaped blade. Hannibal and his Carthaginian armies later adopted Iberian daggers and swords.<ref name="WIS"/> The [[Lusitanians|Lusitanii]], a pre-Celtic people dominating the lands west of Iberia (most of modern [[Portugal]] and [[Extremadura]]) successfully held off the Roman Empire for many years with a variety of innovative tactics and light weapons, including iron-bladed short [[spear]]s and daggers modeled after Iberian patterns. | |||
During the Roman Empire, legionaries were issued a ''[[pugio]]'' (from the Latin {{lang|la|pugnō}}, or "fight"), a double-edged iron thrusting dagger with a blade of {{convert|7-12|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The design and fabrication of the ''pugio'' was taken directly from Iberian daggers and short swords; the Romans even adopted the triangular-bladed Iberian dagger, which they called the ''parazonium''.<ref name="WIS"/> Like the ''[[gladius]]'', the ''pugio'' was most often used as a thrusting (stabbing weapon). As an extreme close-quarter combat weapon, the ''pugio'' was the Roman soldier's last line of defense. The ''pugio'' was a convenient utility knife when not in battle.<ref>{{cite book |title =A concise dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities |url =https://archive.org/details/aconcisediction00corngoog |author =Sir William Smith |publisher =Murray |year=1898 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aconcisediction00corngoog/page/n75 66] |editor=Francis Warre Cornish }}</ref> | During the Roman Empire, legionaries were issued a ''[[pugio]]'' (from the Latin {{lang|la|pugnō}}, or "fight"), a double-edged iron thrusting dagger with a blade of {{convert|7-12|in|cm|abbr=on}}. The design and fabrication of the ''pugio'' was taken directly from Iberian daggers and short swords; the Romans even adopted the triangular-bladed Iberian dagger, which they called the ''parazonium''.<ref name="WIS"/> Like the ''[[gladius]]'', the ''pugio'' was most often used as a thrusting (stabbing weapon). As an extreme close-quarter combat weapon, the ''pugio'' was the Roman soldier's last line of defense. The ''pugio'' was a convenient utility knife when not in battle.<ref>{{cite book |title =A concise dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities |url =https://archive.org/details/aconcisediction00corngoog |author =Sir William Smith |publisher =Murray |year=1898 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aconcisediction00corngoog/page/n75 66] |editor=Francis Warre Cornish }}</ref> | ||
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The [[Old French]] term ''[[:wikt:dague|dague]]'' appears to have referred to these weapons in the 13th century, alongside other terms such as ''poignal'' and ''[[basilard]]''. The [[Late Middle English|Middle English]] ''dagger'' is used from the 1380s. | The [[Old French]] term ''[[:wikt:dague|dague]]'' appears to have referred to these weapons in the 13th century, alongside other terms such as ''poignal'' and ''[[basilard]]''. The [[Late Middle English|Middle English]] ''dagger'' is used from the 1380s. | ||
During this time, the dagger was often employed in the role of a [[companion weapon|secondary defense weapon]] in [[close combat]]. The knightly dagger evolved into the larger [[baselard]] knife in the 14th century. During the 14th century, it became fairly common for knights to fight on foot to strengthen the infantry defensive line. This necessitated more use of daggers. At Agincourt (1415) archers used them to dispatch dismounted knights by thrusting the narrow blades through helmet vents and other apertures.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Logan |title=Daggers and Bayonets |url=https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom |url-access=limited |date=1999 |publisher=Spellmount ltd. |location=United Kingdom |page=[https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom/page/n27 24] |isbn=9781862270275}}</ref> The baselard was considered an intermediate between a short sword and a long dagger, and became popular also as a civilian weapon. [[Sloane MS]]. 2593 ({{circa|1400}}) records a song satirizing the use of oversized baselard knives as fashion accessories.<ref>''prenegarde prenegarde, thus bere I myn baselard'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=s9iobZUO8nUC ed. Pickering 1836].</ref> Weapons of this sort called ''[[anelace]]'', somewhere between a large dagger and a short sword, were much in use in 14th century England as civilians' | During this time, the dagger was often employed in the role of a [[companion weapon|secondary defense weapon]] in [[close combat]]. The knightly dagger evolved into the larger [[baselard]] knife in the 14th century. During the 14th century, it became fairly common for knights to fight on foot to strengthen the infantry defensive line. This necessitated more use of daggers. At Agincourt (1415) archers used them to dispatch dismounted knights by thrusting the narrow blades through helmet vents and other apertures.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Logan |title=Daggers and Bayonets |url=https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom |url-access=limited |date=1999 |publisher=Spellmount ltd. |location=United Kingdom |page=[https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom/page/n27 24] |isbn=9781862270275}}</ref> The baselard was considered an intermediate between a short sword and a long dagger, and became popular also as a civilian weapon. [[Sloane MS]]. 2593 ({{circa|1400}}) records a song satirizing the use of oversized baselard knives as fashion accessories.<ref>''prenegarde prenegarde, thus bere I myn baselard'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=s9iobZUO8nUC ed. Pickering 1836].</ref> Weapons of this sort called ''[[anelace]]'', somewhere between a large dagger and a short sword, were much in use in 14th century England as civilians' accoutrements, worn "suspended by a ring from the girdle".<ref>{{Cite book |last=French |first=George Russell |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=amMKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA184 |title=A Catalogue of the Antiquities and Works of Art, Volume 1 |publisher=Harrison and sons |year=1869 |location=London |pages=184}}</ref> | ||
In the Late Middle Ages, knives with blade designs that emphasized thrusting attacks, such as the stiletto, became increasingly popular, and some thrusting knives commonly referred to as 'daggers' ceased to have a cutting edge. This was a response to the deployment of heavy armour, such as [[chain mail|maille]] and [[plate armour]], where cutting attacks were ineffective and focus was on thrusts with narrow blades to punch through mail or aim at armour plate intersections (or the eye slits of the helmet visor). The shape of their hilt sometimes classes these late medieval thrusting weapons as either [[roundel dagger|roundel]], [[bollock dagger|bollock]] or [[Ear dagger|ear]] daggers. The term ''dagger'' is coined in this time, as are the [[Early Modern German]] equivalents ''[[:wikt:Dolch|dolch]]'' (''tolch'') and ''[[:wikt:Degen#Etymology 2|degen]]'' (''tegen''). In the [[German school of fencing]], [[Johannes Liechtenauer]] ([[3227a|Ms. 3227a]]) and his successors (specifically Andres Lignizer in [[Cod. 44 A 8]]) taught fighting with the dagger.<ref>{{cite book |title =Schools and Masters of Fencing: From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century |author=Egerton Castle |publisher =Courier Dover Publications |year=2003 |page=246 |isbn = 978-0-486-42826-0}}</ref> | In the Late Middle Ages, knives with blade designs that emphasized thrusting attacks, such as the stiletto, became increasingly popular, and some thrusting knives commonly referred to as 'daggers' ceased to have a cutting edge. This was a response to the deployment of heavy armour, such as [[chain mail|maille]] and [[plate armour]], where cutting attacks were ineffective and focus was on thrusts with narrow blades to punch through mail or aim at armour plate intersections (or the eye slits of the helmet visor). The shape of their hilt sometimes classes these late medieval thrusting weapons as either [[roundel dagger|roundel]], [[bollock dagger|bollock]] or [[Ear dagger|ear]] daggers. The term ''dagger'' is coined in this time, as are the [[Early Modern German]] equivalents ''[[:wikt:Dolch|dolch]]'' (''tolch'') and ''[[:wikt:Degen#Etymology 2|degen]]'' (''tegen''). In the [[German school of fencing]], [[Johannes Liechtenauer]] ([[3227a|Ms. 3227a]]) and his successors (specifically Andres Lignizer in [[Cod. 44 A 8]]) taught fighting with the dagger.<ref>{{cite book |title =Schools and Masters of Fencing: From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century |author=Egerton Castle |publisher =Courier Dover Publications |year=2003 |page=246 |isbn = 978-0-486-42826-0}}</ref> | ||
In some respects, these techniques resemble modern [[knife fight]]ing but emphasize thrusting strokes almost exclusively, instead of slashes and cuts. When used offensively, a standard attack frequently employed the reverse or [[icepick grip]], stabbing downward with the blade to increase thrust and penetrative force. This was done primarily because the blade point frequently had to penetrate or push apart an opponent's steel [[chain mail]] or [[plate armour]] to inflict an injury. The disadvantage of employing the medieval dagger in this manner was that it could easily be blocked by various techniques, most notably by a block with the weaponless arm while simultaneously attacking with a weapon held in the right hand.{{ | In some respects, these techniques resemble modern [[knife fight]]ing but emphasize thrusting strokes almost exclusively, instead of slashes and cuts. When used offensively, a standard attack frequently employed the reverse or [[icepick grip]], stabbing downward with the blade to increase thrust and penetrative force. This was done primarily because the blade point frequently had to penetrate or push apart an opponent's steel [[chain mail]] or [[plate armour]] to inflict an injury. The disadvantage of employing the medieval dagger in this manner was that it could easily be blocked by various techniques, most notably by a block with the weaponless arm while simultaneously attacking with a weapon held in the right hand.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Vail |first=Jason |title=Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat |publisher=Paladin Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-58160-517-4 |location=}}</ref> Another disadvantage was the reduction in effective blade reach to the opponent when using a reverse grip. As the wearing of armour fell out of favor, dagger fighting techniques began to evolve, emphasizing the use of the dagger with a conventional or forward grip. In contrast, the reverse or icepick grip was retained when attacking an unsuspecting opponent from behind, such as in an assassination.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
===Renaissance and early modern period=== | ===Renaissance and early modern period=== | ||
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In European artwork, daggers were sometimes associated with [[Hecate]], the Ancient Greek goddess of [[witchcraft]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Oskar Seyffert |title=A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities: Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art |url=https://archive.org/details/b3135841x/page/270/mode/2up?view=theater |publisher=[[William Swan Sonnenschein]] |edition=6 |date=1901 |page=271 |access-date=2022-01-01}}</ref> | In European artwork, daggers were sometimes associated with [[Hecate]], the Ancient Greek goddess of [[witchcraft]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Oskar Seyffert |title=A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities: Mythology, Religion, Literature and Art |url=https://archive.org/details/b3135841x/page/270/mode/2up?view=theater |publisher=[[William Swan Sonnenschein]] |edition=6 |date=1901 |page=271 |access-date=2022-01-01}}</ref> | ||
The social stigma of the dagger originates in its periodic use in the commission of disreputable and murderous attacks, from the 44 BC assassination of Julius Caesar to the use of the stiletto dagger by the [[Black Hand (extortion)|Black Hand]] of early 20th century America.<ref>Watkins, John, ''The Big Stunts of Great Detectives: The Scrapbook'', Vol. 4, No. 6, New York: Frank A. Munsey (December 1907), p. 1098: "The ''Black Daggers'', with their double-edged blades signaling primary use as a fighting knife, became associated with offensive attacks made for purposes of killing."</ref> Consequently, it developed a public association with surprise assaults by criminals and murderers intent on stabbing unsuspecting victims.<ref name="Daggers and Bayonets">{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Logan |title=Daggers and Bayonets |url=https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom |url-access=limited |date=1999 |publisher=Spellmount ltd. |location=United Kingdom |page=[https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom/page/n57 54] |isbn=9781862270275}}</ref> To this day, criminal codes of many nations | The social stigma of the dagger originates in its periodic use in the commission of disreputable and murderous attacks, from the 44 BC assassination of Julius Caesar to the use of the stiletto dagger by the [[Black Hand (extortion)|Black Hand]] of early 20th century America.<ref>Watkins, John, ''The Big Stunts of Great Detectives: The Scrapbook'', Vol. 4, No. 6, New York: Frank A. Munsey (December 1907), p. 1098: "The ''Black Daggers'', with their double-edged blades signaling primary use as a fighting knife, became associated with offensive attacks made for purposes of killing."</ref> Consequently, it developed a public association with surprise assaults by criminals and murderers intent on stabbing unsuspecting victims.<ref name="Daggers and Bayonets">{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Logan |title=Daggers and Bayonets |url=https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom |url-access=limited |date=1999 |publisher=Spellmount ltd. |location=United Kingdom |page=[https://archive.org/details/daggersbayonetsh00thom/page/n57 54] |isbn=9781862270275}}</ref> To this day, criminal codes of many nations specifically ban the carrying of the dagger as a prohibited weapon.<ref name="BPSKnives">{{cite web |title=Knife Laws Around the World: What You Need to Know |url=https://bpsknives.com/knife-laws-around-the-world-what-you-need-to-know/ |website=BPSKnives |access-date=26 March 2026}}</ref> | ||
==Modern use== | ==Modern use== | ||
Militaries use the dagger as a close combat and ceremonial arm. {{Clarify|date=June 2025}} | |||
[[File:U.S. Army Special Operations Command CSIB.svg|thumb|upright=.5|right| The U.S. Army Special Operations Command unit patch, a U.S. Army emblem with dagger]] | [[File:U.S. Army Special Operations Command CSIB.svg|thumb|upright=.5|right| The U.S. Army Special Operations Command unit patch, a U.S. Army emblem with dagger]] | ||
Many nations use the dagger pattern in the form of the bayonet.<ref name="Daggers and Bayonets"/> Daggers are commonly used as part of the insignias of elite military units or special forces, such as the US Army Special Operations Command, the US Army Special Forces, or the Commando Dagger patch for those who have completed the British [[All Arms Commando Course]]. | Many nations use the dagger pattern in the form of the bayonet.<ref name="Daggers and Bayonets"/> Daggers are commonly used as part of the insignias of elite military units or special forces, such as the US Army Special Operations Command, the US Army Special Forces, or the Commando Dagger patch for those who have completed the British [[All Arms Commando Course]]. | ||