3rd century AD. An iron pugio military dagger with waisted leaf-shaped blade, rounded midrib, rectangular rivetted balter, short grip with crescent pommel. See Bishop, M.C. & Coulston, J.C.N., Roman military equipment, from the Punic wars to the fall of Rome, London, 1993; Kennedy, D., The twin towns of Zeugma on the Euphrates, Portsmouth, 1998; Ba?gelen N. & Ergeç, R., Belkis/Zeugma, Halfeti, Rumkale, a last look at history, Istanbul, 2000; Bishop M. C. & Coulston J.C.N., Roman military equipment from the Punic Wars to the fall of Rome, London, 2006; Feugère, M., ‘Roman militaria from Zeugma’, in Ergeç, R. (Ed.), International Symposium on Zeugma: from Past to Future, Gaziantep: 2006, 91-96; Ibañez, F.C., ‘Post Vestigium Exercit. Militaria romana en la región septentrional de la Península Ibérica durante la época Altoimperial’, in Morillo A. (ed.), Actas del II Congreso de Arqueología Miltar Romana en Hispania. Universidad de León-Ayuntamiento de León, León 2006, 257-308; Casprini, F., Saliola, M., Pugio gladi brevis est, storia e tecnologia del pugnale da guerra romano, Roma, 2012. 400 grams, 36.3cm long (14 1/4"). From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister; from her collection formed early 1960s-1990s. This dagger finds a good parallel with a similar item found in London (Bishop & Coulston, 2006, p.165, fig.104,1), in Copthall Court. The pugio appeared as a side weapon of the Roman legionary in the 2nd century BC. However, its full diffion within the Roman army begun with Caesar and Augt, where it appeared as the reserve weapon for the heavy infantryman. ually worn on the left side of the body by the Milites Legionarii and on the right side for the nonmissioned officers and centurions, it was ed as a lethal weapon in body-to-bodybat, being considered a short sword (pugio gladi brevis est"). Its continued e during the 3rd century is demonstrated by the many finds of similar type in Britannia (England), Syria, Germania (Germany), Pannonia (Hungary, part of modern Atria and Croatia) and in the imperial provinces. In Kunzing no fewer than 51 blades and 29 sheaths of such weapons were found. Double-edged daggers of old pugio fashion are in particular archaeologically attested for the 3rd century AD, from Zeugma (Ba?gelen-Ergeç, 2000, p.22; Feugère, 2006, p.92; these iron specimens belonged to the soldiers of the IIII Legio Scytica here stationed; they were found in the 1992 excavation of the Dyonisos and Ariadne hoes in chantier 12; s. Feugère, 2006, p.92 and Kennedy, 1998, p.135, fig.5.9, p.89;), Dura (Bishop-Coulston, 2006, p.164;), Sotopalacios and Iuliobriga (Ibá?ez, 2006, pp.294 ff), London and other localities of Rhine and Germany (Kunzing, Eining, Speyer, s. Bishop-Coulston, 1993, fig.95.1 - London- ; Coulston-Bishop, 2006, fig.104, 4-5: Eining, 6: Speyer, Balkans and Danubian Limes. Our specimenes from a military outpost, probably from Britannia. These daggers ually had a length