This curved dagger is kept in the Moscow Kremlin Museum.
Overall length: 570 mm
Blade length: 440 mm
The blade bears the inscription «Князя Ондрея Ивановича лета ЗКА» ("Prince Andrei Ivanovich, year ZKA"). The year ZKA is the year 7021 from the creation of the world, or 1513.
The dagger belonged to the youngest son of the Russian Tsar Ivan III, Prince Andrei Ivanovich Staritsky.
This dagger is a further development of the curved knives of the Golden Horde. These knives are often found in archaeological excavations in Russia. Here's one from the State Historical Museum in Moscow.
Note that a very similar curved dagger is depicted in this miniature on a Uzbek prisoner. Furthermore, the pommel of Prince Staritsky's dagger is very similar to the pommel of Khan Yadygar's dagger. The pommel is attached with a through pin.
|