Daggers are knives with a straight or a curved blade, single or double-edged, that is up to 50 cm (20") long. A classic dagger is a close combat weapon, but there are also throwing daggers with special heavy-weight blades. The appearance of early daggers differed depending on their purpose. Phalanx soldiers used short daggers in close combat while legionnaires and attacking soldiers used longer blades because they didn’t fight in such a compact formation. Famous Florentine daggers were equipped with a special cavity for poison and a canal along the blade, but they were not too popular.
Today, daggers serve more as fine art pieces than pieces of weaponry. Beautiful and elegant, they are greatly appreciated by collectors and admirers of cold weapons so the majority of the manufacturers produce engraved or encrusted daggers, which can adorn any collection.