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LOT 1446
Arab 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13TH CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 in. (610 grams, 11.5 cm).
Piriform body decorated with concentric circles inside a eight rays pointed star pattern, with domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 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'.
Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefasse aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16; the shape finds correspondence with a fire grenade from Hama, today in the BM, inv.no.1893,1009.38; cf. Pentz, P., 'A medieval workshop for producing 'Greek fire' grenades' in Antiquity, Volume 62, Issue 234, March 1988, pp. 89 - 93.
FootnotesThe Arabs, following the Roman examples, made great use of these weapons. The efficiency of the weapon appears, for example, from the account of the siege of Akka in 1189, given by the contemporary historian Ibn al-Athir. He tells how the Christians exercised their engineering skill and built mighty beffroys. The situation was hopeless for the defending Arabs until a man from Damascus showed up, because he knew how to produce Greek Fire: ‘To trick the Christians he first threw some vesseIs with naptha and other things, which were not set on fire, upon one of the beffroy’s, and it was without power. The Christians...climbed the top of the beffroy...the man from Damascus waited until the contents of the vessels were spread all over. When the moment came,he threw a new pot, which was set on fire. In a few moments the fire was spread all over, and the beffroy was eaten up by the flames. The fire was spread in such a hurry that the Christians could not manage to climb down from the beffroy. Men, weapons, everything was eaten up by the flames.’
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Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Group
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Comprising tanged arrowheads, including barbed and leaf-shaped examples. 158 grams total, 8-10.5 cm
Acquired 1990s. From the collection of a late Japanese weaponry collector.
The arrowheads seems to belong to the subtypes A and B of the Khorasani classification. They are mainly small triangular arrowheads with rounded and barbed shoulders. Some have angular or rounded midribs. The characteristic is also the cylindrical stem and the rectangular-sectioned tang. Many similar arrowheads were found in the Marlik excavations. -
Luristan Bronze Macehead
Late 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Of cylindrical shape, the upper section with alternating rectangular panels and vertical rows of three prominent spikes, short cylindrical shaft edged at top and bottom. 244 grams, 13.5 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, before 1988.
The mace was probably the oldest weapon used by humans. This weapon has been used in different ways and it was probably considered the main tool in the civilisation of the Kassites because of the high number of maces found in this area. Bronze maces in Luristan probably had wooden handles, although most of them unfortunately have been eroded and severely deteriorated. According to Khorasani, such maces were realised with lost-wax process. -
Turco-Mongol Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
A hollow ceramic vessel with cylindrical body, carinated shoulder, short neck and domed mouth, bands of impressed herringbone patterns to the shoulder, waist and body, alternated with floral pattern around a groove; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 520 grams, 17 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'.
This piece was a sort of ceramic fire grenade, similar to the ones used by the Eastern Romans but of Turco-Mongol type. Apart from the use of manual flame-throwers, special corps of soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations.
