About this objectThis dagger and scabbard were found in the tomb of a man in Gyeongju, Gyreim Tomb 14. The dagger is iron while the dagger hilt and scabbard are gold alloy with granulation and inlaid with both garnets and coloured glass. The sheath was probably attached to a belt. Traces of fabric were found attached to the back of the scabbard, probably from the deceased's outer garment. They have been identified as silk.
The sheath was worn at an angle, almost horizontal, rather then vertically. This, along with its form and manufacturing technique—notably the filigree—have led some scholars to suggest that it was made on the steppe, possibly in the Black Sea region where similar daggers have been found, for example, at Borovoye, Kazakhstan and Taganrog, on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
Date Madelate 5th to early 6th c.
PeriodSilla
Subject and Association KeywordsDeath and burials
Subject and Association KeywordsBurial bling
Subject and Association KeywordsGlass
Subject and Association DescriptionLearn More: NMK 2010 [https://web.archive.org/web/20181206234916/https://www.museum.go.kr/site/eng/exhiSpecialTheme/view/current?exhiSpThemId=4177]; Yoon 2011; Yoon 2013;
Medium and Materialsiron, gold alloy, glass, garnet
