Loading, please wait...
LOT 1348
Anglo-Saxon Iron Socketted Spearhead
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
10 1/4 in. (190 grams, 26 cm).
Lentoid-section leaf-shaped blade with slender neck and long closed socket; Swanton's Group D1. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound near Wetwang, East Yorkshire, UK.
Acquired circa 2005.
Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Cf. Swanton, M.J. Spearheads of the Anglo-Saxon Settlements, London, 1973, fig.18(d).
FootnotesA small number of leaf-shaped blades measuring between some 16 and 28 cm in length are similar to the smaller leaf-shaped pieces of the Swanton series C, except that they tend to be more slender overall. The socket is always narrowly split up its entire length.
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.
-
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Piriform body with vertical ribs, tiered collar, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 435 grams, 16.5 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards.
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): £286
Piriform body with impressed ribs to the equator, band of roundels to the shoulder, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 444 grams, 11.3 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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'.
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. -
Anglo-Saxon Socketted Iron Spearhead
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Lentoid-section broad leaf-shaped blade with thick neck and split socket; Swanton's Group D1. 215 grams, 24.4 cm
Found near Wetwang, East Yorkshire, UK. Acquired circa 2005. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
The chronological range of the type D1 extends over the entire Pagan period. With the group C1, of which Swanton believed this might simply be a long-socketted variant, the typology did not survive the 7th century A.D.
