Chapter 1

Origins of the Tactical Knife

To find the true origin of tactical knives, we should start a few thousand years ago during the Paleolithic Period, also known as the Stone Age. During this period humans developed knives made from various stones, with flint and obsidian being widely used. The use of stone tools continued throughout the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age, and both stone and metal tools and weapons were in wide use for centuries. Eventually metal tools became widely available, and due to their superiority, stone tools fell into disuse. However, make no mistake—an obsidian knife is as effective today as it was thousands of years ago for our ancestors.

But we’re not going to get into Stone Age knives. If we began that far back, this topic could turn into a multi-volume encyclopedia. This is only one book and the point of this section is to provide a little history to show the genesis of the modern tactical knife—both folder and fixed blade—and thereby put the entire matter into perspective. This history is important to provide a foundation for the development of today’s knives and those of the future, an example of which is the recent discoveries regarding Damascus steel.

Could these be tactical?

Early tactical knife blade.

Early versions of tactical blades.

For centuries there have been knives that served functions we now define as tactical. Today, however, we have designs focused on better fulfilling tactical and everyday functions in one package that will fit into our modern daily lives more comfortably than, say, a Roman gladius or medieval scramasax, both of which were certainly tactical. It’s also apparent to anyone who takes a look at offerings from today’s knife companies that fashion plays a large part in the design of today’s tactical knives.

With that in mind, let’s skip forward to the Roman era to take a quick look at an early tactical folder. The Romans also had folding knives that served tactical functions. I’ve handled one that was seventeen hundred years old, and it seemed pretty tactical to me. With its ivory handles, it may have been the first gentlemen’s tactical folder.

Michael Stafford obsidian blade with a cherry burl wood handle with silver inlay.

Jim Riggs’ obsidian blade with antler handle being sharpened with a piece of antler.

Jim Riggs’ obsidian blade with antler handle and oak-tanned elk skin sheath.