Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The scramasax, a single-edged knife, was a general purpose implement. It could serve equally well as a tool or as a weapon and generally did not exceed 12 inches in length. As with most objects of the Migration period, iron weapons survive as excavated grave goods and tend to be heavily corroded. The grips, now missing, were probably fashioned from wood or bone and silver inlay decorated the pommels (the knob on the hilt, or handle). The ornamental gold foil bands, perhaps from the original scabbards (the cases in which the blades of swords or daggers are kept) have survived relatively intact.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
99442
label
Single-Edged Knife (Scramasax)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
99442
contentType
object
title
Single-Edged Knife (Scramasax)
description
The scramasax, a single-edged knife, was a general purpose implement. It could serve equally well as a tool or as a weapon and generally did not exceed 12 inches in length. As with most objects of the Migration period, iron weapons survive as excavated grave goods and tend to be heavily corroded. The grips, now missing, were probably fashioned from wood or bone and silver inlay decorated the pommels (the knob on the hilt, or handle). The ornamental gold foil bands, perhaps from the original scabbards (the cases in which the blades of swords or daggers are kept) have survived relatively intact.
date
600s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60780027
genreSpecific
Arms and Armor
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 36.9 x 4.1 cm (14 1/2 x 1 5/8 in.)
cul
Frankish, Burgundy (?), Migration period, 7th century
accession
1919.1015
Source extras
tec
iron, copper, and gold foil
tombstone
Single-Edged Knife (Scramasax), 600s. Frankish, Burgundy (?), Migration period, 7th century. Iron, copper, and gold foil; overall: 36.9 x 4.1 cm (14 1/2 x 1 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust, 1919.1015
collection
MED - Migration Period
formerAccessionNumbers
1915.332
476.1919
didYouKnow
Scramasax come in a variety of sizes and are all-purpose tools and weapons often carried by both men and women.
citations
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms and Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> [Cleveland, Ohio]: The Museum, 1998.
page_number
p. 37
citation
Effros, Bonnie, "Art of the 'Dark Ages:' Showing Merovingian artifacts in North American public and private collections." <em>Journal of the History of Collections</em> vol. 17 no. I (2005).
page_number
85-113, fig. 17
citation
Fliegel, Stephen N. <em>Arms & Armor: The Cleveland Museum of Art. </em>[Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
p. 47
creditline
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:22:15.387000
sourceId
99442
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Migration Period
med
iron, copper, and gold foil
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e6945df04864954f