National Museum of the Philippines unveils 2,000-year-old Catanauan Dagger

The National Museum of the Philippines has announced that it will be exhibiting the Catanauan Dagger at its National Museum of Natural History starting today, International Museum Day.

On Wednesday, details about the 2,000-year-old artifact were revealed on the museum’s Facebook page.

“This iron dagger is one of the most remarkable funerary artefacts recovered in 2017 from a jar burial site located on a beach facing Marinduque across the waters of the Mompog pass,” it said.

The dagger features a leaf-shaped double-edged metal blade and a finger-fitting handle made of layers of bone and organic material to “seemingly form the shape of a boat.”

The asymmetrical handle also has a “detailed carving that resembles interwoven patterns with tiny holes” on which “glass beads may have been inlaid.”

While the item was said to be “reserved mostly for people of high status such as chieftains and prominent individuals,” the museum said it would “support and promote further scientific analysis.”

The National Museum of the Philippines reopened its doors to the public last October. – Franchesca Viernes/RC, GMA News