The material interpretation of the pictorial characters constituting the Diskos-of-Phaistos text has found considerable interest for two reasons:
- Some authors try to find out the ancient names of the depicted objects in order to define the phonetic values of the characters from the names, using the acrophonic principle.
- The set of pictorial characters may shed light on the cultural environment they were taken from. So e.g. Arthur Evans [1] in that way concluded on a military and seafaring content of the Disk.

Character 44 (enlarged in Fig.1 left, numeration according to Evans) is only one time present in the Diskos text, but it is clear-cut and clearly printed. It has found different interpretations, e.g. "cutting blade" (Pernier 1909)[2] , "small axe" (Godart 1995)[3] , "butcher's knife" (Faucounau 1999)[4] , bull- or animal skin, marble, leave of a waterplant (last citations after Timm 2005)[5]; cautious authors (e.g. Duhoux 1977)[6] have left it uninterpreted. None of these interpretations looks very conclusive, but in any case the character seems to depict a flat piece, possibly of metal.

The author was intrigued by the clear, but unsymmetrical form of this image. Could it have been a semi-manufactured product? What happens when you roll it up?

Fig.1 shows the result of this experiment: The unsymmetrical forms of the two sides perfectly close to form a conical shoe. When made from a bronze sheet, it would fit the share of a hook-plough or - perhaps more worthwhile - the beak or ram-spire at a warship's bow. And what is more: the "hole" in the device is exactly at the place where it should be for a bolt to fasten it.