Roman folding knife handle. Cast copper alloy handle from a ...

Hammer

£40

Roman folding knife handle. Cast copper alloy handle from a Roman folding knife. The handle is in the form of Hercules and Antaeus wrestling one other. The scene shows Hercules standing behind the Antaeus with his arms wrapped around him, in the process of lifting and throwing Antaeus to the floor. Hercules looks across his left shoulder to direction of the throw. His legs are slightly bent at the kness. Both of his feet are on the floor. Antaeus is depicted in a life-like body position of being lifted off the ground mid-throw; his left leg is bent at the knee and his left foot is raised off the ground. His right leg is also slightly bent and the toes of his foot rest on a small rectangular box. His arms are by his side and his hands grasp hold of his opponents arms which around his waist. Both figures are very worn and so no facial details are visible, however both are shown as stocky, muscular figures.

In mythology Antaeus was a Libyan giant, and this detail is reflected in the knife handle; Antaeus is notably larger than Hercules. Both men are naked. There are two pellets representing nipples on the figure being thrown; there are also two curved grooves on his chest emphasising his pectoral muscles. The legs of both wrestlers are also shown expanded, again emphasising their muscles. There is a deep vertical slot on the reverse of the handle roughly aligned between the two figures, into which the blade of the folding knife would have fitted. The handle is broken roughly across the knees of Hercules. The two figures stand on a flat oval plate, beneath which projects a rectangular shank. This shank has a slot down the centre that would have secured the tang of the blade. There is iron corrosion around the slot. The entire object is very worn and corroded, with patches of a reddish patina particularly on the wrestlers faces and arms.

Roman folding knife handles are most commonly seen in the form of a hound chasing a hare. Only one other 'wrestler' handle is known although unfortunately it lacks provenance (Benet, 2003, p105). This handle shows two naked male wrestlers in the same throw position. The only difference is that the figure behind has his right leg stepped forward, in the process of tripping up his opponent. The wrestlers are likley to be representations of Hercules and Antaeus. Antaeus, son of Neptune and Tellus (or Poseidon and Gaia), was a giant. He made everybody he met wrestle with him and he killed everyone he defeated, that is until he met Hercules. Hercules outplayed Antaeus, yet despite how many times he threw Antaeus off and tossed him to the ground, it did no good. If anything, the giant appeared rejuvenated from the encounter. Hercules eventually realized that the earth, Antaeus' mother, was the source of his strength, so Hercules held the giant aloft until all his power had drained away. The wrestling scene on the knife handle shows Hercules lifting Antaeus off the ground thus draining him of his powers. The same scene is known on a mosaic from Bramdean and a 2nd century spoon. 55mm x 23mm, 41.4g. Circa AD 100 - 300.

Recorded on the PAS database as LIN-15BB58

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/200335