Author Topic: The prototype Swiss Army Knife?  (Read 133 times)

Offline Greybeard

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The prototype Swiss Army Knife?
« on: 11.10. 2023 09:02 »

🔸Roman Army Knife (201-300 AD); has a spoon, knife, fork, spike, spatula and pick allowing the user to even clean between their teeth after eating. It was part of the equipment of Roman legions.

This folding eating gadget has a three-pronged fork, a spoon,a spatula,a pick, a spike and an iron knife that has eroded away. There is a hinge to allow each item to be folded out when it was needed, or folded away for ease of transporting it.

The spike might of helped in extracting the meat from snails, and the spatula in scraping sauce out of narrow-necked bottles. Some have even suggested the pick with the tiny spoon on the end could have been used to remove earwax.

Material : Silver and Iron

© The Fitzwilliam Museum

Greybeard (Neil)
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Online Rex

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Re: The prototype Swiss Army Knife?
« Reply #1 on: 11.10. 2023 09:19 »
I think you'll find that the spatula is actually a scoop for bone marrow rather than for sauce bottles.
A great delicacy as late as Victorian times, and silver marrow scoops turn up regularly at auctions.

Offline Greybeard

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Re: The prototype Swiss Army Knife?
« Reply #2 on: 11.10. 2023 10:11 »
I think you'll find that the spatula is actually a scoop for bone marrow rather than for sauce bottles.
A great delicacy as late as Victorian times, and silver marrow scoops turn up regularly at auctions.
Also handy for cleaning out lugholes 😁

Or sludge from your crankshaft 😁
Greybeard (Neil)
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Offline RichardL

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Re: The prototype Swiss Army Knife?
« Reply #3 on: 11.10. 2023 21:33 »
It looks like a piece of leather is stuck in it, seemingly, running through a slot for putting it on one's belt.

Richard L.