Loading, please wait...
LOT 1096
Amlash Type Spearhead
12TH-11TH CENTURY B.C.
18 1/2 in. (468 grams, 47 cm).
Long, parallel-sided with deep midrib, broad tip, round-section neck with V-shaped recess to each face and thick square-section tang.
ProvenanceEx German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.
LiteratureSee Negahban, E., Weapons from Marlik, Berlin, 1995, plate VI, no.78; Khorasani M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, items 279-280, for type.
FootnotesThis weapon belongs to the type 1 of the spear-head classification of Khorasani, mainly from Marlik or Amlash areas. Similar pieces have been dated by Stutzinger to 1200-1100 BC.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Ummayad Bronze Spearhead
7th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £133
Formed with a broadly triangular blade, narrow neck and tapering round-section socket. 245 grams, 34 cm
Ex old English collection. The Kusmirek Collection, UK.
The basic Arabic term for a spear or lance, whether used by cavalry or infantry, was rumh. In the 7th century it normally would have been ten or twelve cubits long, i.e. four and a half metres. -
Medieval and Later Iron Axehead Collection
14th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Including socketted heads of various types, each with a convex cutting edge. 4.27 kg total, 12-19.2 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Egg-shaped ceramic vessel with domed filler-hole, impressed rings and raised vertical flanges to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 565 gram, 13 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.