Iron Age
Wandering around a museum we are perhaps attracted to the great swords of antiquity not alone for their fine workmanship but also the glorious or inglorious histories they articulate. But the interesting thing in the above commentary is not the sword itself but the humble steak knife attached to it. An army it is said marches on its stomach and the fuel that feeds the sinews of war is every bit as important as the tools used to process that war. Interesting also that the Japanese coupled a wee steak knife to their famous sword in a like manner, over a thousand years after these words were written. Every modern army outfits its personnel with a mess kit that most troopers will admit are just as important to them as the tools of war they carry with them into battle.
So it is in everyday life that the simple knives that make things not only easier but possible are often ignored. In examining the fine implements of the Iron age let us not lose sight of the importance of that simple knife we pick up every day without thinking. Our forebears also used such knives and indeed they must have been far more common than their representation in museum displays would indicate. Unfortunately iron implements do not fare well in Ireland's damp climate and the larger objects fare better in this regard not only because they have more material to sacrifice to oxidation but because they were accorded more importance by the people entrusted with their care. Besides a utilitarian item tends to get used, that is its nature.
Twenty five knife blades were recovered from diggings around Christ Church Cathedral in Cathair Corcaigh or Corcach Na Mumhan (The Great Marsh Of Munster) An area comprising about four city blocks was at that time under occupation. It currently sits submerged beneath the center of the modern city of Cork. Most were probably pounded out down the road at North Gate Bridge where a forge and water wheel were found. The forge was believed to be in use from 1250 to 1300 AD.
Of these its possible to identify 5 distinct patterns, Two of which may simply be different stages in the life of one pattern. All are utilities ranging in blade length from 3 to 5 inches. All are single edged stick tangs which the archeologists refer to as a "whittle tang". In some the tang is an extension of the blade back or biased toward that side while others are centrally located. Many of the regular knives are tanged with a round tang shoulder on the back side and a sharp shoulder on the edge side. Many are reminiscent in style to a Scian Dubh. Noteworthy is a cleaver like knife with a wide blade looking like it would make short work of veggies. This blade bears a remarkable though accidental resemblance to a Japanese "Naga".
The carpenter is represented by a lone longshanked gouge with a very short tang.
An odd one is the hook shaped pruning knife with the inside of the hook forming the cutting edge and a bifurcated haft socket.
Another anomaly is an item that looks like a pizza cutter about 3 to 4 inches in diameter with a hole in the middle. This one may not be a knife at all, as it is very corroded and any trace of a cutting edge has disappeared.
Much of this stuff was perhaps produced by the forge at Northgate. The upper levels have not survived but the base is still intact showing the probable location of the firebox with it's three sided air ducting. Nothing has survived of the bellows but there are possible indications that a trip hammer used the water wheel as motive power.
Something the archeologists believe to be an anvil base was also recovered. It was made from a piece of tree bole with a depression in the middle to take a somewhat hemispherical chunk of iron or steel, the flat base of the hemisphere serving as the face of the anvil.
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