Knife

Item number Sf533 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Data
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Description

A flaring blade with a slightly curved edge is topped by an ovoid head surmounted by two inverted step triangles leaving a rectangular hole above the head. The facial features of the head are simplified: two eyes and a horizontal line that may represent a beak beneath a brow line.

History Of Use

This may be a ceremonial blade as ones of similar shape are frequently shown in Moche ceramic depictions of human decapitation (Moser). The simple face with step triangles appears in an etched design on a blade from Vicus (Lumbreras). Similar knives have been excavated at the site of Vicus (Disselhoff).