Loading, please wait...
LOT 0296
Babylonian Bronze Arrow Owned by Eulmas-sakin-sumi, King of Babylon
LATE MIDDLE BABYLONIAN PERIOD, 1004-988 B.C.
2 5/8 in. (9.37 grams, 66 mm).
A two-edged leaf-shaped blade and square-section tapering tang, on one side inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform text: 'Eulmaš-šākin-šumi'; and the other side inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform text: 'É-ul-maš-GAR-MU'; reading (property) 'Of Eulmash-shakin-shumi, king of the world'; there are now seventeen known examples compared to fourteen known in 1968.
ProvenanceUK 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.13145-248307.
See Brinkman, J.A., Political history of Post-Kassite Babylonia (1158-722 b. C.), Rome, 1968, p.161, for discussion of identical inscriptions on fourteen arrowheads known at the time of the book's publication.
FootnotesKing Eulmash-shakin-shumi was the founder of the 6th Dynasty of Babylon, named the Bῑt-Bazi Dynasty after the Kassite tribal group from which its leaders were drawn. They were possibly situated near the juncture of the Diyala River and the Tigris River. There are discrepancies in the information surviving about his reign; whilst the Dynastic Chronicle states that he ruled for fourteen years, the King List A suggests a rule of seventeen years.
The events leading to the king's rise to power unfolded in the context of the chaotic close of the Second Sealand Dynasty, and in the midst of the turmoil inflicted by the famine-induced Aramean migrations. During this period, Eulmaš-šākin-šumi appears to have seized the throne and possibly moved his capital to Kar-Marduk, a hitherto unknown location, and easily defensible. Upon his death, King Eulmash-shakin-shumi was buried in the Palace of Kar-Marduk, the dynastic capital. A 9th century stele relating to temple endowments at Sippar relates that the king restored food offerings to Shamash, and entrusted a garden plot in a part of Babylon known as the 'New City' to the then high priest there.
The weapons unearthed with inscriptions such as the one offered here were likely votive, as opposed to military pieces.
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.
LOT 0296
Babylonian Bronze Arrow Owned by Eulmas-sakin-sumi, King of Babylon
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
-
Large Luristan Bronze Socketted Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With a slender, scooped blade, a round socket and shallow scooped depression to the upper face of the blade with thick curved edge; socket chipped. 1.05 kg, 13 cm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. -
Napoleonic Infantry Officer's Sabre
French, circa 1790 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising a long single-edged blade with corrugated spine, gently curved towards the shallow point; bronze sleeve to the grip with swept quillon and knuckle-guard, lug finial pieced to accept a sword-knot; ribbed wooden grip with leather covering; heavy usage wear. 666 grams, 81 cm
Acquired in 2008. Property of a Kent, UK, private collector.
Modelled on the sabres of the infantry officers of the Jeune Garde Imperiale. -
Large Viking Age Iron Socketted Bearded Axehead
Circa 10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Finely curved broad blade with chin to the lower edge, rounded socket with lateral triangular extensions and a rectangular extension to the rear; professionally cleaned, conserved, and restored. 730 grams, 21 cm
From the family collection of a South East London collector; formerly acquired in the late 1950s.
This type of bearded axe seems to correspond to the E2 category of the Viking axe classification, but also has affinity with the Slavic axe-type Y. Usually these bearded axeheads (skeggöks) had a longer edge, designed to split tree trunks into planks and beams. Some of the bearded axes were known as halfÞynna öx; the neck on such a 'half thin axe' was thinly forged, to make it lighter.
