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Home > Auctions > 9 - 17 September 2025
Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History & Coins

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Lot No. 0714
6
Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Scaphoid in plan with raised rim to the obverse, cruciform arrangement of ring-and-dot motifs. 3.6 grams, 29 mm

Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0715
15
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,820
Comprising: a curved blade with single cutting edge to the inside of the curve (Latin sica); bronze transverse bolster pierced to accept two mounting rivets for the blade; curved grip with lateral scrolls at the base, undulating inner face, pommel formed as the head of a gryphon with beak and raised lentoid eyes. 210 grams, 32 cm

Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

See Aurel Rustoiu, Thracian sica and Dacian falx. The history of a "national" weapon in Dacia Felix. Studia Michaeli Barbulescu Oblata, Cluj, 2007.

Lot No. 0717
5
Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising a round-section tapering body, flattened finial with ring-and-dot decoration and eraser at the top. 8 grams, 14.1 cm

Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0718
11
Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Modelled in the half-round, dolphin in profile with dentilled fin and tail. 5.66 grams, 38 mm

Ex German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0719
8
Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Modelled in the round reclining feline with tail looped around the body. 21.6 grams, 40 mm

Acquired on the UK art market during the late 20th century.
From the private collection of David King (1940-2024), Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0722
25
Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Cuboid with incised ring-and-dot spots disposed 1:6, 2:5, 3:4. 6.75 grams, 16 mm

Acquired on the London art market in the late 1980s-1990s.
From the family collection of an East London, UK, gentleman.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0724
8
Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Teardrop-shaped in plan with three holes to underside, enamelled phallus to lid. 8.3 grams, 32 mm

Acquired on the UK art market during the late 20th century.
From the private collection of David King (1940-2024), Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0725
16
Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
A biconical facetted lentoid-section lead sling shot (glans), inscription monogram a combination of letters 'C', 'A' and 'E', for 'C A E S' referring to Julius Caesar. 38.6 grams, 31 mm

Acquired on the UK art market.
Property of a gentleman collector.

Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 4th May 2022 and titled 'Roman Res Publica - Lead Slingshots (glandes) of Caesarian Age - 45 B.C circa'.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Cf. D'Amato, R. and Sumner, G., Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier: From Marius to Commodus, 112 BC-AD 192, London, 2009, fig.32, p.45, for similar glandes from Zaragoza Museum, one with the name of Pompey inscribed also coming from Munda battlefield; Schinco, G., Small, A.M., 'A previously unknown siege of Botromagno/Silvium: the evidence of slingshots from Gravina in Puglia (Provincia di Bari, Puglia)' in Papers of the British School at Rome, 2019, pp.1-52, figs.31, 37.

The shot (type IIb of the Völling classification) is marked with the abbreviated name of Julius Caesar; vast quantities were used at the Battle of Munda (or Monda) against the last supporters of Pompey, the leaders of the Optimates, on the 17th March 45 BC. Similar shots were used during Caesar's wars. The slingers of Caesar's age were part of the light infantry. Caesar speaks of his Balearic slingers during the conquest of Gaul. They wore a short tunic, with leather or rope sandals to the feet, and a warm overcoat which could also have been used to store projectiles. They also used a satchel to carry deadly lead-like stones or bullets.
Crescentic pendant with both arms formed as erect phalli with a loop below, large male genitals to the centre with a large suspension loop above. 15.6 grams, 56 mm

Found East Anglia, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0727
15
Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Hollow-formed with collar to the lower rim, voided mouth to accept a ring; probable knife pommel. 26.5 grams, 24 mm

From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Lot No. 0728
5
Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Matched pair, each a hollow-formed crescent with filigree closure, cluster of hollow granules to the underside. 5.06 grams total, 28-29 mm

Acquired in the 1994.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Cf. Ruseva-Slokoska, L., Roman Jewellery, Sofia, 1991, item 1, for type.

Lot No. 0729
24
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
A facetted lentoid-section sling shot (glans) with inscription in Latin letters 'CN' (Cneius) 'MAG' (Magnus) on one side, and 'IMP' for 'IMPERATOR' (victorious general) to the other side, i.e Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Imperator (Pompey the Great the victorious general). 80.6 grams, 46 mm

From an old London, UK, collection since 1985.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Cf. D'Amato, R. and Sumner, G., Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier: From Marius to Commodus, 112 BC-AD 192, London, 2009, fig.32, p.45, for a similar glandes from Zaragoza Museum, that with the name of Pompey inscribed from Munda battlefield.

The shot (Völling type 1C) is marked with the abbreviated name of Gnaeus Pompey; it was used in quantity at the Battle of Monda (or Munda) against Julius Caesar, 17th March 45 BC. The projectiles could be of different material: in lead (glandes) or in pottery or stone (lapides missiles). Sometimes they were signed with the name of the general, as is our specimen.
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