In its most simple state, the dagger is a double-edged knife used for stabbing, thrusting or as a secondary defense weapon in close combat. In most cases the tang is placed along the center-line of the blade, but this varies in different styles.
Daggers, like battle axes, evolved out of prehistoric tools. Starting around 1250 A.D. onward, paintings and gravestones show knights with a dagger or other combat knives at their sides. The shaft and blade shapes began to resemble smaller versions of swords and led to a fashion of ornamented scabbards and shafts in the late 15th century.
Today, boot knives, push daggers and military daggers are much more common and sought after.
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