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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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AUCTIONS:
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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 Red Marble Fragment from the House of Ananias in Damascus
Circa 6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
Corner piece with polished face; an old handwritten label to the side reading 'Stone from "Ananiani's" house Damascus May 1861'. 182 grams, 82 mm
Found Damascus, Syria, in May 1861. UK private collection. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. With a late 19th century handwritten identification label attached.
The Chapel of San Anania is a religious building located in a two-room crypt in Damascus, approximately four meters below the current street level, reachable by descending a staircase of twenty-three steps from the courtyard of a house that traditionally is attributed to Ananias, the Christian martyr who helped Saul (who became Paul the Apostle), baptised him and helped him hide and leave Damascus, after he had attracted the hatred of the Jews who had organised his killing. It is an apse of an Eastern Roman basilica from the 5th-6th century, cited several times by Arab historical sources such as al-Mussalabeh (of the Holy Cross), brought to light by the excavations carried out by the count Eustache de Lorey. -
Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Cross pommee with roundels to the centre and each arm; suspension loop. 4.96 grams, 39 mm
Acquired on the UK art market before 2000. Property of a Surrey, UK, collector. -
Byzantine Bronze Trade Weight Collection
Circa 8th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Mixed group of discoid weights with raised rim and impressed detailing. 69 grams total, 11-28 mm
Ex Simmons Gallery, London E11, UK, in the 1990s. From a North London collection.
