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LOT 0203
Byzantine Gold Ring with Inscription
CIRCA 7TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
7/8 in. (2.08 grams, 20.81 mm overall, 18.42 x 15.48 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L 1/2, USA 6, Europe 11.87, Japan 11)).
Slender hoop and integral scaphoid plaque, three-line Greek legend 'KEBO IΘI ANACTACI'.
ProvenancePrivate collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
LiteratureCf. Chadour, A.B., Rings. The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, volume I, Leeds, 1994, item 474; Baldini Lippolis, I., L'Oreficeria nell'Impero di Costantinopoli tra IV e VII secolo (the Jewellery in the Empire of Constantinople between IV and VII century), Bari, 1999, p.199ff., for the type, especially nos.16.
FootnotesThe ring belongs to the category of Romano-Eastern rings with an applied bezel, a type particularly common between the 6th and 8th centuries AD. The inscription recites 'KE BOIΘI ANACTACI'. i.e. ‘Κύριε Boήθει Aναστασi’ (Lord help Anastasius).
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LOT 0203
Byzantine Gold Ring with Inscription
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£750 (EUR 870; USD 1,013) ‡+BP*
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole, incised concentric circumferential bands above the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 752 grams, 12.8 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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. -
Early Byzantine Gold and Garnet Gemstone Ring with Bird
Constantinople, circa 5th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £667
Hollow-formed with inset cloison, incuse profile bird motif. 3.52 grams, 22.74 mm overall, 17.38 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K 1/2, USA 5 1/2, Europe 10.58, Japan 10)
Private collection, acquired on the German art market in 1993; thence by descent.
The ring belongs to the type I, variant 3, of Roman gold rings according to Ruseva-Slokoska’s classification. These rings had massive ellipsoid hoops with bands semi-circular on the outside, wider and thicker towards the shoulders. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 619 grams, 12.8 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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.
