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LOT 1176
Anglo-Saxon 'Norfolk' Iron Socketted Spearhead
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
10 in. (134 grams, 25.3 cm).
With lentoid-section lanceolate blade, tapering circular socket with forge-welded split. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Norfolk, UK, in the 1970s.
Gary Edwards, York, UK.
Private collection, Preston, UK.
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and receipt from Gary Edwards, no.SN12480.
See Swanton, M.J., The Spearheads of the Anglo-Saxon Settlements, Leeds, 1973.
FootnotesThe spearhead belongs to the C2 group of the Swanton's classification, by far the commonest leaf-shaped blade found in Anglo-Saxon graves in 6th and 7th centuries A.D. These spears have their broadest part in the lower half, and are lentoid in section. Length varies between 20 and 35 cm.
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, raised vertical flanges to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 500 grams, 12 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With central socket and shaft; cutting blade set vertically at a right-angle; the short pick-adze blade arranged horizontally. 1.3 kg, 26 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The earliest axe-adzes from the 3rd millennium B.C. were weapons and tools furnished with socket holes. Usually a socket was a more secure way of attaching the object to a wooden haft than having a tang. These weapons developed into a plethora of different forms in the 2nd millennium B.C., and the numerous new forms and were used until at least 800 B.C. -
Luristan Bronze Socketted Axe
13th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £90
The cylindrical socket with collared base and upper face of zoomorphic form, possibly representing a gaping snake's mouth; wedge-shaped axehead with convex cutting edge. 271 grams, 14 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
