The evolution of the knife:
The eventful history of mankind is inseparably linked to the development of cutting tools. Due to the different developments of different tribes, the transitions of the eras "Stone, Bronze and Iron Age" are fluent as well as temporally staggered. Blade weapons, however, found their way into every culture and also served - often with elaborate decorations - as status symbols of their respective owners.
From the very beginning, it was vital to have the tools to produce food and clothing. For this purpose, the hunted game had to be cut up and its components processed. In the beginning, our ancestors used sharp-edged stones. By carving flintstones, the first "knife", the hand axe, was produced. This could be used for cutting, scraping, splitting, sharpening and as a weapon. The man had thus reached a stage of evolution in which he could use a tool he had made himself in a purposeful way. In a further development, humans succeeded in mining and processing metals. Copper was first used to make knives. It could be poured into moulds by heating and then be processed.
This new melting process made it possible to produce complex shapes so that blades and handles could form an integral unit. However, the cutting tools were not hard and robust enough to do all the work that was required, so stone tools were still used. In the following period, however, it was possible to add a little tin to the copper and thus produce bronze. This now possessed excellent characteristics and completely replaced stone as a blade material. The melting and refining of iron ore finally led to the production of iron and later - by adding carbon - steel. The compaction and attainable hardness of the material could be controlled by forging and subsequent heat treatment, so that wear resistance and durability were optimised. It was now possible to produce longer blades, for example for swords, which were both hard and flexible.
The PUMA set "Evolution" consists of the models "Stone", "Bronze" and "Iron
Abstractions based on historical models made of 440C stainless steel hardened to 56 HRC (designed by Jörg Hübner)
• PUMA "Stone" = hand axe
The hand axe was created about one and a half million years ago, in the Stone Age. It was a stone worked on two sides and formed almond-shaped, with a round base opposite a point. The "Stone" model is a reminiscence of the first knife of mankind.
• PUMA "Bronze" = Dagger with a short handle
From the 3000 B.C. onwards, some people were able to make cutting tools from copper. By adding about ten per cent in, the metal bronze could be cast from copper and used for knife making. The model "Bronze" is based on a dagger from this epoch.
• PUMA "Iron" = knife with a long handle
• Already from the end of the Bronze Age onwards, knives made of iron began to appear, which gradually replaced the bronze knives. Knives made by smelting iron are documented from the 17th century B.C. onwards. This technical progress reached Europe approx. 2,800 years ago and thus founded the beginning of the local Iron Age. The model "Iron" corresponds to the shape of a Celtic knife.
Stone age
Cutting: 2.165" inch / 55 mm (double-edged)
Total length: 5.393" inch / 137 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Weight: 145 g
Bronze age
Cutting: 2.362" inch / 60 mm (double-edged)
Total length: 5.787" inch / 147 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Weight: 97 g
Iron age
Cutting: 2.874" inch / 73 mm
Total length: 6.023" inch / 153 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Weight: 79 g
Packaging: wooden gift box
Dimensions: 7.784" inch x 6.929" inch x 2.834" inch
(220 mm x 176 mm x 72 mm)
Total weight: 964 g
