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LOT 1513
Anglo-Saxon Iron 'Battle Damaged' Shield Boss and Spear
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 - 6 7/8 in. (437 grams total, 17-17.5 cm).
Comprising: ferrous shield boss of Härke & Dickinson's Type 3 with broad flange, deep sidewall with carination and domed cone; flared apex stud; traces of fixing rivets in underside of flange; spearhead of Swanton's Type E2, lenticular in section with elongated lozengiform profile, split socket. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound East Anglia, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Dickinson, T. & Härke, H., Early Anglo-Saxon Shields, London, 1992, p.14; Swanton, M.J., Spearheads of the Anglo-Saxon Settlements, London, 1973, fig.25.
FootnotesThe distortion to the shield boss appears to have been produced by an impact blow from a sturdy, wedge-section blade, probably an axe.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1513
Anglo-Saxon Iron 'Battle Damaged' Shield Boss and Spear
Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Piriform body with a domed mouth, a circumferential hatched band on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 594 grams, 12.5 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Bulbous body with domed mouth, incised circumferential bands above the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 392 grams, 10 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Comprising: two large triangular arrowheads with barbed shoulders and rounded midrib; one large arrowhead with lanceolate head and rounded shoulders. 94 grams total, 12.5-16.1 cm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The arrowheads belong to the type V of the classification of Khorasani: subtype D (triangular arrowheads with rounded or angular midrib) and subtype C, arrowheads with elongated, triangular shape with barbed shoulders and convex sides, and a raised midrib with a sharp central line.
