Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0267
Assyrian Bronze Axehead with Cuneiform Inscription
8TH CENTURY B.C.
3 3/4 in. (141 grams, 94 mm).
Comprising a barrel-shaped socket with rounded collars and a hole to the rear to accept a mounting peg, a wedge-shaped blade with a stepped neck; incised cuneiform text on both faces of the blade and the socket; votive type.
Provenance
Private collection, acquired on the European art market in 2002.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13206-249182.
Literature
See Various la Mésopotamie entre le Tigre et l'Euphrate, cat. exp. (Musée d'art de Setagaya, 5 août 2000 - 3 décembre 2000, for an inscribed Assyrian axe; Fukuoka, Musée d'art asiatique d'art asiatique, 16 décembre 2000 - 4 mars 2001, Tokyo, NHK, 2001, p. 154, n° 220.
Footnotes
The royal inscriptions on weapons were common in Mesopotamia. Our blade, although younger, finds a parallel with an Assyrian cuneiform-inscribed bronze axe blade bearing the name of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari I, dating back to the reign of King Adad-Nirari I (1307-1275 BC) from Assyria, currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Sasanian Agate Stamp Seal
Circa 3rd-7th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £98
Plano-convex in form with possibly later incuse design, three fish and other objects. 18.34 grams, 27.23 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Large Mesopotamian Bronze Spearhead Inscribed: 'Belonging to the Palace of Ipiq-Adad' a King of the city Eshnunna
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
Rectangular-section tapering body with a short tang with cuneiform text to one side translating to: '(belonging to) the Palace of Ipiq-Adad'. 260 grams, 36 cm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13259-253470.
There were three kings of the name Ipiq-Adad, kings of the city Eshnunna in the Diyala region of Mesopotamia in the early Old Babylonian period. Eshnunna was an ancient Sumerian (and later Akkadian) city and city-state 12.6 miles northwest of Tell Agrab. Although situated in the Diyala Valley northwest of Sumer proper, the city nonetheless belonged securely within the Sumerian cultural milieu. Ipiq-Adad II was the son of Ibal-pi-el I, king of Eshnunna. Upon his ascent, he used the title ensi; later in his reign, he shifted to describing himself as lugal (king). He was the first ruler of Eshnunna to use the term lugal since Shu-iliya. Inscriptions also refer to him as 'king who enlarges Eshnunna', 'shepherd of the black-headed people', and 'king of the universe'. He oversaw a great expansion of the state and laid the foundation for Eshnunna to become a regional power. The spearhead belongs to the category of bipartite pikes (Gernez classification L 1.A.a). It is the simplest category of spearheads. The butt consisted solely of a widening located at the junction between the point and the tang. The tang was inserted into the handle up to the butt. The wood, split and/or hollowed out to allow for the passage of the tang, was then secured with a cord or strap wrapped around it, probably up to the base of the blade, thus ensuring its stability. -
Western Asiatic Oval Gold Pendant
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Comprising a hollow-form leaf-shaped pendant with applied filigree loops and a small boss beneath the ribbed suspension loop. 0.58 grams, 19 mm
Ex private British collection, formed in the 1980s. Property of a West Northamptonshire, UK, gentleman.
