Copper-Binary Symbolism

Copper-alloy miniature votive dagger. The pommel is uneven and spherical with a ridge at the top. The pommel narrows into the slightly curved grip. The guard is a square shape with two parallel grooves on each side. The blade narrows into a dulled point. There is a round hole three-quarters of the way up the blade. The back is chipped on the left edge of the blade near the point (as seen in figure 1) and has furrows on the blade below the hole. The front has scratches on the blade above both sides of the hole and on the left below the hole. Length 3.1 cm. Width of pommel at maximum .9cm, width of guard at maximum .8 cm. Thickness of blade .2 cm, thickness of pommel at maximum .8 cm, thickness of guard .7 cm. An almost identical object …show more content…
These objects were a way that mundane people could interact, appease, and thank the divine gods without expending an excessive amount of resources (Kiernan 2009; 1). Votive offerings tended to be objects removed from daily life, such as coins, weapons, or jewelry, and deposited in a ritual context (Kiernan 2009; 1). The symbolism behind the deposition of specific objects varied based on the need of the devotee or the presumed desire of the deities. The deposition of weapons may represent the hope for success of a warrior in battle (Kiernan 2009, 7). A votive could even represent a god themselves: for example, metal wheels could have been used as an offering for the deity Jupiter, or wheel god (Kiernan 2009, 212). Before deposition, objects would be damaged ridding them of their function and ties to the mortal realm and making them property of the gods (Bird 2011; 288). Evidence of this intentional damage can be seen at the site of La Téne in its massive metal work deposit, where swords and spearheads were purposely dented and twisted (Kiernan 2009; …show more content…
High value offerings would have directly affected and increased social prestige and in the Iron Age offerings held both a spiritual and social significance (Kiernan 2009; 4). However, after the Romans impose their presence, these Iron Age offerings evolved into less valuable offerings (Kiernan 2009; 40), like the miniature dagger described. The Roman influence on this tradition can be seen in the reduction of scale in offerings during this transition period. As seen with dedicated arms moving away from massive, full-size offerings in the Iron Age to smaller ones after the Roman conquest (Kiernan 2009, 211). These smaller objects can reflect private individual offerings instead of that of an elite society and equally represent the intentional damage of an object for the gods (Kiernan 2009;