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LOT 1081
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Dove
6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.36 grams, 21.91 mm overall, 19.40 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)).
Slender hoop expanding to a heart-shaped bezel with a stylised dove facing right. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx P Chapman collection, 1980s-1990s.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Byzantine Inscribed Silver Ring
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
A D-section hoop with slightly flared shoulders and trumpet-shaped discoid bezel; hatched bands to the shoulders, four lines of enigmatic Greek text [ΧΥΙ ΑΓΓ ΙΧXΙ] to the bezel. 7.53 grams, 27.13 mm overall, 21.06 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V, USA 10 1/2, Europe 23.77, Japan 22)
Property of a private collector; acquired before 1975. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
Circa 9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Enkolpion reliquary cross with hinge and suspension ring above; obverse with incised nimbate Jesus in stavrosis position, dressed in hatched garment; reverse with Mother of God in orans pose flanked by fronds. 32.5 grams, 70 mm
Ex Den of Antiquity, Cambridge, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Ovoid in profile with incised linear decoration to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 401 grams, 11 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
