C. 900 AD. Viking age. A medieval Scandinavian pointed knife with tapering blade and original bone handle comprising a cylinder of bone decorated with four registers separated by clearly delineated bands. The register closest to the knife’s blade comprises a cross formed of scored lines and dot-in-circle motifs; the two central registers display chevrons and dot-in-circle motifs and the register furthest from the knife features a curve-armed swastika. The knife comes with a silver scabbard or sheath cover made up of a hammered sheet with repoussé geometric motifs. The leather parts of the sheath have not survived. Knives were a vital part of everyday life in the Viking world, where forks were not used, and everyone had to carry their own knife, both for self-defence and for eating. The item is extremely well preserved and has been professionally cleaned; it comes on a custom-made stand. Size: L:206mm / W:20mm ; 55g; Provenance: From an old British collection formed in the 1990s; previously acquired in Germany.