Further, as well noted by Fernando:
From "Arms and Armour of Spain: A Short Survey"
Ada Bruhn de Hoffmeyer, p.200
"...the Spanish dagger above all, is however the ear dagger".
"...the eared dagger is of oriental origin. Very probably it has its origin in Iran or at the borders of the Caspian Sea. Its earliest forerunners are to be found in Luristan among eared daggers of the Bronze Age. Later time Iranian specimens with grips of ornamented silver from about 400-600AD have almost the same shape as the Spanish types. They may also be called the prototypes of the ear dagger. It came to Europe with the Moors of Andalusia and partly with the Saracen artisans working in Venice. "
Clearly this classic form is found in antiquity, and was replicated in commemoration of these traditional daggers at various times over the centuries.
It seems well established that the 19th century replicas of these forms have indeed become antiques in their own right.
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