What is a dagger? A metallurgical interpretation of three metal daggers from western Switzerland dated from the Late Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age

Abstract

• The role of daggers in prehistoric European society has been long debated. Within this discussion, we may add some hints to understand the human choices behind daggers’ production, in a study in combination with the University of Oxford and the University of Geneva, that combines their shape, the metal used for them, the working production techniques. We can also inform about the use, reuse and reshape of the objects. In this paper, we are applying this approach in the study of three daggers (owned by the museum of Neuchatel) from western Switzerland, dated to the end of the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.