Bronze dagger from Malý Cetín

The bronze dagger from Malý Cetín was found in an excavation pit in 1999. Malý Cetín ( Hungarian Kiscétény ) is a village in Nitriansky kraj ( Nitra district - German Neutra) in western Slovakia . The rare bronze dagger of the Gamov type (also known as bimetallic Cimmerian daggers) dates from the 9th or 8th century BC. Corresponding finds otherwise come from the Koban culture , in the North Caucasus , some are known from eastern Central Europe (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary) and Russia.

The peculiarity of the Malý Cetín find is that it is made entirely of bronze . Otherwise, this only applies to two North Caucasian specimens, all others have an iron blade and a bronze handle. Another attribute of the find is a ricasso , a finely serrated saw-like edge, within easy reach. This is common in western central Europe (woodlands), but becomes less common in the east (steppe).

Gamov daggers (with a typically perforated grip plate) can be connected to the Thracoco - Cimmerian horizon. Your find material contains many objects pointers ( bridles give up on horseback). Numerous researchers believe that they can identify the ancient Cimmerians , a pre-Scythian equestrian people who were at home in the Eurasian and Pontic steppes.

The combination of Caucasian and Central European characteristics raises questions about origin. Either it was made in the North Caucasus and received its ricasso in Central Europe, or it comes from a Central European workshop that used models from the Caucasus. Since the Great Hungarian Plain is the western extension of the Eurasian steppe belt, relationships with peoples from the eastern steppe cannot be ruled out.

literature

• Jozef Bátora: Cimmerian Conquerors in Central Europe? In: Archeology in Germany. 2/2001, p. 58.