A commission and a challenge

2026/08/06

As artisans specializing in the recreation of objects from Antiquity, we love challenges like the one posed by the recreation of this curved-edged dagger based on the one found in tomb 11 of the La Cascajera necropolis in Villanueva de Teba (Burgos).

A job that began, as is usual in our “modus operandi”, with a deep investigation into this type of dagger in particular and on this dagger in particular.

This set of dagger, sheath and belt is entirely handmade by the artist and craftsman David Castillo and is a unique piece in terms of its recreation using the methodology of the time.

Daggers of this type are characteristic of the peoples of the Upper Ebro and Middle Duero regions during the Second Iron Age. The blade was forged using the methods of the period in our charcoal forge, entirely by hand, without the use of machines.

The blade's finish, polishing and sharpening are done by hand with natural stones and it has a blued patina.

The central rib was forged manually by hammering using stamping and counter-stamping methods.

Perhaps the most spectacular part, and rightly so, is the intricate hilt, made up of some twenty pieces crafted from hand-embossed copper alloy, wood, and iron, and featuring a characteristic three-cylinder pommel typical of this style. All the work was done by hand without the use of machines or glue.

The scabbard has a forged structure, with a repoussé brass front and an iron back. It hangs from forged iron baldrics with a decorated brass plate, and the belt, made of vegetable-tanned leather, has a hook also forged in iron with a decorated copper alloy plate.

It is a unique piece of craftsmanship and not a replica of the original, which its owner can wear on his waist and use for teaching and dissemination of the Iron Age.

You can count on us to make any project, custom order or proposal a reality; we'd be delighted to carry them out.