Monday, June 15, 2009


The first knives in human history were prehistoric hunting knives made from flint. Throughout history, hunting knives have always been the most powerful and most valuable tool that has played the key role used for human survival. The earliest hunting knife ever discovered dates back as far back as 2.6 million years and was found in the Afar region of Ethiopia by fine-grained sediments of a dry riverbed called flint. These water-worn hard creek cobbles were created by volcanic rock and were the earliest form of primitive hunting knives. Unlike all knives offered today, these hunting knives were created out of necessity, but as time continued on, hunting knife evolution can be traced through the paths of technology.
Throughout the Paleolithic era, similar hunting knives were made out of animal bone and wood which continued to be the main materials used until about 10,000 years ago with the discovery of bronze and iron. Entering the Bronze and Iron era, brought on a whole new and improved style of hunting knives. Hunting knives made from bronze and iron was an all-purpose tool used for hunting, warfare, and domestic tasks. These kind of hunting knives are still made and manufactured today. Although the material of hunting knives changed, the purpose of the survival hunting knife has remained the same. Until modern time, hunting knife history was really a history of human civilization.
During that time, iron was the main material for use in creating hunting knives. As little as 5,000 years ago, when advances in metallurgy grew, bronze, bone, and iron were gradually replaced by steel. These tools closely mimic the hunting knives we still use today, and consists of a piece of metal, usually steel, that was dull on one side known as the tang and sharp on the other end known as the blade. Early hunting knives usually had a wooden or bone handle that would be crafted around the tang to make it easier to hold.
The evolution of knife design was also affected by the needs of particular peoples and countries. A survey of the history of world hunting knives would reveal a fascinating variety of styles and materials crafted for a wide range of purposes. Humanity's kinship with tools ensured that even after agrarian civilization developed, the hunting knife retained an important role in society

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