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LOT 0771
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
3 in. (145 grams, 77 mm).
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, decorated with floral pattern on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
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'.
Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefasse aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16; this type shows a similar decoration with the fire grenade in the Kars Museum, in Turkey, inv.no.20.09.2009.
FootnotesApart 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.
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LOT 0771
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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Byzantine Silver-Gilt Ring with Saint
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £190
With round-section hoop and integral discoid plaque, tondo with intaglio of a robed nimbate figure with one arm raised facing a similar figure, all between fronds. 3.13 grams, 24.45 mm overall, 20.03 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
Ex M.N. London collection, 2000s. -
Byzantine Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp with Head of a Goddess
5th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
With a large sub circular filling hole and a narrow channel running towards the nozzle; stylised animal motifs and linear decoration to the body; the integral handle formed as the head of a goddess with rounded face and curly hair; low basal ring from which raised tendrils radiate. 79 grams, 11.6 cm
Acquired before 1990s/early 2000s. From the family collection of Jack Lyttle (1944-2023), Kilmacolm, Scotland; thence by descent to his granddaughter. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Marble Fragment from the Golden Gate in Jerusalem
Circa 520 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Sub-rectangular in form with three polished faces; old handwritten label to one side reading 'Stone from Golden Gate Jerusalem July 1861'. 165 grams, 66 mm
Found Jerusalem in July 1861. UK private collection. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. With a late 19th century handwritten identification label attached.
The Golden Gate, so called in Christian literature, or She'ar Harahamim ('Gate of Mercy') is the oldest of the city gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located on the eastern side of the ancient city walls and it is believed that the meeting at the Golden Gate of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne took place there, an episode depicted in various pictorial cycles dedicated to the life of Saint Anne (including the one by Giotto in the Scrovegni chapel in Padua). The current gate was probably built on the ruins of the older one, in the 6th century A.D., as part of Justinian's building program. According to another theory, the construction took place at the end of the 7th century, by Roman craftsmen hired by the Umayyad caliphs.
