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LOT 0172
Byzantine Gold Marriage Ring
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (3.76 grams, 20.90 mm overall, 18.29 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)).
Comprising a slender round-section hoop with an applied discoid bezel, two facing busts flanking a cross and an inscription below. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a UK collection since before 1990.
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 Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
11th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Enkolpion with low-relief Corpus Christi figure to obverse, hinge loops above and below; incised and inlaid cross to reverse. 14.8 grams, 57 mm
Ex European collection, 1990s. Ex Cambridgeshire, UK, collection. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant
Circa 9th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Enkolpion with spurs to the angles of the four arms, central low-relief ring to each face; hinged suspension loop with ribbing. 11.69 grams, 51 mm
Ex Den of Antiquity, Cambridge, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s. Accompanied by a typed dealer's ticket. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
A piriform missile with domed filler-hole (chipped), segmented flanges to the sidewall and impressed texture; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 844 grams, 13 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.
