The Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological collections include approximately 600 knives — either the handles or the blades, or a combination of both. This is not surprising because at the time of the James Fort settlement, knives were the main implement for eating. No forks and relatively few spoons have been recovered from the 1607 to 1624 James Fort period contexts. Forks, uncommon at the time, were reserved for elaborate carving sets of the elite, and while spoons were common, they were typically made of wood or pewter, which decay quickly in the Jamestown soil.
There are two predominant styles of knives found at Jamestown. The most common is called a whittle-tang knife, defined by a blade attached to a thinner tang, which is fully encompassed by a handle. While most knives have become fragmentary over time, with the iron and bone elements recovered separately, about 50 knives recovered by archaeologists at Jamestown include both their iron and bone handle elements still together, 400 years after they were used on the site. The handles of the whittle-tang knives recovered from Jamestown vary greatly in style, material, and decoration. The following chart details the various shapes of the handles present in the collection. The use of the word “terminal” indicates that the very end of the knife handle includes a unique shape.
knives in the jamestown collection
Photo
Knife Handle Shape
Description
Acorn Terminal
The very end of the knife handle looks like an acorn
Anthropomorphic
The handle itself looks like a stylized human figure
Bifid Terminal
The very end of the knife handle splits into two parts
Club-shaped
Coffin-shaped
Handle itself is hexagonal. Some (but not all) taper.
Cylindrical
Handle tapers, end is flat, and handle is circular in cross-section
Irregular
Oval Terminal
Ovoid Cylinder
Handle tapers, end is flat, and handle is ovoid in cross-section
Pentagonal
Knife handle itself is pentagonal
Pyramidal Terminal
Rectangle with Shoulder
Rectangular
Rounded Cylinder
Handle tapers slightly, end is rounded, and handle is circular in cross-section
Rounded Terminal
Handle tapers drastically, end is rounded, and handle is ovoid in cross-section
Shell Terminal
The very end of the knife looks like a shell
Squared Cylinder
Handle is mostly cylindrical, but squared towards the end opposite the blade
Trapezoidal
Trifid Terminal
The very end of the knife handle splits into three parts
Tubular
Handle does not taper, and is circular in cross-section
A number of the images above highlight examples of decoration applied to the bone handles, including carved designs such as faceting, incising, waffle motifs, and the use of additional materials as inlays or plugs. Other examples of these decorative motifs can be seen below, in addition to one unique knife handle that is made of lead and decorated copper alloy sheeting. The more elaborate knives were likely owned by high status gentlemen as both a useful tool and a symbol of their wealth and refinement.
Photo
Description
Iron knife with bone handle carved with carved foliate motif and plugs
Bone knife handle with amber colored inlays
Bone knife handle with foliate incised design, a red inlay, and plugs
Bone knife handle with multiple decorative motifs, rouletting, inlays, and plugs
Bone knife handle with multiple decorative motifs, rouletting, inlays, and plugs, with fragmentary iron knife blade intact
Bone knife handle with foliate incised design and copper alloy plug
Bone knife handle with carved teardrop shaped motifs
Bone knife handle with waffle carved motif (separate iron tang and bolster)
Bone knife handle with incuse diamond carved motif
Bone knife handle with incuse diamond carved motif and plugs
Knife handle made of lead covered with copper alloy sheet, decorated with incised motif
