Wakefield Museums and Castles

These tools are from a Bronze Age burial at Ferrybridge. They were found in a man's grave alongside a rare stone wrist guard.

Blades are among the earliest tools humans made. These examples are handheld, sharp along two edges, and narrow to a point. Archaeologists tend to call these types of prehistoric blade 'daggers'.

The earliest daggers were made of stone, usually flint. They were first made in northern Europe about 4,500 years ago. Their shape seems to have been based on bronze daggers made in eastern and central Europe. Later, northern Europeans began making daggers from bronze too.

Archaeologists have found both flint and bronze daggers in the cemeteries near Ferrybridge. 

It is clear a lot of work has gone into making these daggers. They would have been valued possessions. In Britain daggers are most often found in important burials. They're not usually found in the settlements where people actually lived. This suggests they were made to show off someone's importance, rather than as tools.

However, recent research by the University of Newcastle has found traces of animal blood, skin and sinew on bronze daggers. Perhaps they were used for animal sacrifices on special occasions.