3rd Century Roman Pugio Dagger – Deepeeka

This 3rd Century Roman Pugio Dagger has an unsharpened blade of high carbon steel. The hilt is composed from alternating layers of steel and horn sandwiched over the tang and riveted through these layers for a solid construction. The dagger is paired with a scabbard of wood with a skin of red leather within a frame of steel with brass hanging loops.

The Pugio was a trusty sidearm of the Roman warrior; wide and short bladed, it was a dedicated thrusting dagger. As swords can break or be lost in a combat, a sidearm of some sort is quite practical and the form of the Pugio is ideal for this purpose – the blade, both wide and short, would be quite resistant to breakage. The leaf-shaped tip ensures that the wound from a piercing strike would be made quite wide with mere inches of penetration.