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LOT 1095
Byzantine Engraved Bone Spindle Whorl with Birds Below Canopy
CIRCA 8TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
5/8 in. (7.78 grams, 17.78 mm).
Barrel-shaped with incised ring-and-dot ornament forming an arcade.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
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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LOT 1095
Byzantine Engraved Bone Spindle Whorl with Birds Below Canopy
Estimate £80 - 100€93 - 116 (for guidance only)$108 - 135 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£44 (EUR 52; USD 60) +BP*
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Byzantine Silver Strap End Group
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Matching pair of strap ends with openwork decoration on the tongue-shaped body. 9.76 grams total, 44 mm each
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. From the property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Bulbous body with a domed mouth, a circumferential band on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 374 grams, 11 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. 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. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Two-Line Inscription
6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Featuring a slender hoop and circular bezel inscribed with 'CAP / ΓOV'. 1.59 grams, 21.30 mm overall, 17.50 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
