The Iron Age had its fair share of brutal history. Stephanie Pappas of Huffington Post Science looks at this in a recent article titled “Iron Age Bones Discovered In Denmark Reveal Bizarre Ancient Rituals.”

Pappas specifically looks at how those killed in battle were treated. She writes, “All of the evidence points to a straightforward defeat in battle. But the bones also bear strange marks of tampering after the soldiers' death. First, many have been gnawed by animals, including large predators such as wolves, dogs and badgers, Holst said. The species present and amount of scavenging suggest the bodies stayed out in the open for at least six months to a year, he said. After this time, someone collected the corpses and sorted at least some of the bones by type. Marks of cutting and scraping suggest the bones were separated deliberately, and that they had any remaining flesh removed. Animal sacrifices and ceramic pots mixed in with the remains suggest some sort of religious ritual, Holst said. Along with the pelvises strung like beads on a stick, there is evidence that leg bones and thighbones were sorted, too, he said.”

In times like these, being prepared with the right weapon was a must. Many people during this time armed themselves with knives. Project Germani examines the role of knives in the Germanic Iron Age in its Weapons section. The author writes, “

Warknives were another popular side arm for those who could not afford swords. They were always single edged. They were either in the form of specialized large warknives with blades that were too thick to use for household duties, and simple, straight bladed camp knives. The knife has a great advantage in extremely close quarters situations. All are single edged, and have straight blades. The earliest is a find from Hjortspirng in Denmark from the 4th. century BC, and they appear again in the 1st. century AD in Grossromstedt. Most are hefty, and equally good at stabbing and slashing.”

If you’re looking for your own knife to engage with Iron Age history, look no further than the German High Carbon Steel Hand Forged Knife by Armory Replicas. The knife was hand forged from a single slab of steel with beautiful, old steel rough looks. It offers a nice finish with a factory sharp blade, which can be further sharpened by our valued customers. The knife’s handle is equipped with an artfully twisted handle with a curved bottom. Our Viking Germanic hand forged knife is perfect for any type of re-enactment.

Whatever replica armory needs you might have, you can’t go wrong with Armory Replicas!