Symbol of manhood worn (until recently) by all Arab men and boys, but prohibited to be worn by any Jew (hover over photos for details).
However, I was enlightened by Artzi Yarom at Oriental Arms (www.oriental-arms.com ) that "The dagger with a curved blade was developed some time in the 12 - 13 C. in the Indo - Persian part of the world and from there migrated east and west to the entire Islamic world."
So, I researched 1st century Roman daggers, which was probably what 1st century Judeans used, and found the following (hover over photos for details):
(www.romancoins.info/MilitaryEquipment-pugio.html#First Century; accessed 2011.04.13)