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
-
Vietnamese Officer's Iron Sword with Scabbard
Colonial Period, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
The curved blade with corrugation below the spine, narrowing tip, applied collar at the ricasso; pierced discoid guard, curved grip with decorated sleeve; lacquered scabbard with silver fittings; Vietnamese name lightly inscribed on hilt. 967 grams total, 93 cm including scabbard
Acquired in 2008. Property of a Kent, UK, private collector. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Comprising tanged arrowheads, four with large elongated triangular blades and raised midrib, sharp central groove, one triangular type with barbed shoulders and flat socket, one with barbed shoulders and cylindrical stem with handle for the shaft; four with squared shoulders and rectangular stem with handle for the shaft, one with trilobate blade, two with barbed shoulder and flat tang, one with short pyramidal head and cylindrical stem, and another with short tang and long blade with raised midrib. 384 grams total, 5.8-15.7 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.
These arrowheads seem to belong to the type V, subcategory types A, B, C and D according to the classification of Khorasani and Negahban. In the four categories of triangular bronze arrowheads from Luristan, Marlik, and Northern Iran, individuated by Negahban, subtypes C and D of type V are larger arrow or javelin heads, C with barbed shoulders and D with round shoulders. Most of them were cast in moulds. -
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Piriform with vertical socket expanding towards the narrower end. 342 grams, 67 mm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990-2000s.
