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LOT 1390
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
10TH-13TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/8 in. (472 grams, 13 cm).
Piriform body decorated with concentric circles, with sphero-conical filler-hole, 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; the shape finds correspondence with a fragment of a clay granade from Rhodes (4th EBA storerooms, inv. ПХ 2832), cf. Various, Byzantium and the Arabs,Thessaloniki, 2011, p.64.
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 1390
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
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Bactrian Bronze Claw Axehead-Mace
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Egg-shaped with spiked sleeves or prongs, the top of the weapon with a narrow edge, the sleeves with small internal tangs for mounting. 127 grams, 10.1 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The 'claw mace' was an enigmatic ancient bronze weapon from the Bronze Age Near East. The hollow bulbous head was trailed by tines of varying lengths. It is believed that it was affixed over a wooden shaft and used like a club in combat, and not necessarily used as ceremonial weapon. The knife edge bulb end could have broken bones and proven to be a formidable striking weapon requiring no skill to wield. The tines would have not only been decorative, but have served to add strength below the striking end to prevent breakage. In battle, maces were often used by commanders to display rank when giving orders in battle and leading soldiers, inspiring leadership and power. -
Cuman-Qipchak Iron Shield Rim Group
12th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Square in section and curved in profile with pierced lobes and attachment rivets. 252 grams total, 7.2-43 cm
UK gallery, early 2000s.
These kind of shields are often found in the burials of nomadic warriors of Eastern Europe accompanied by certain sets of weapons — four-part helmets, quiver kits, sabers and a spearhead. Such graves contained the remains of similar wooden shields with metal parts. Determining the dating of these burial complexes in the framework of the Golden Horde time, the Archaeologists dwell in detail on the attribution of the helmets and the remnants of the shields, linking their appearance in the Northeast Black Sea Coast with the resettlement here of the black hoods from Southern Russia in 1260s. -
'The Farnham Castle' English Medieval Socketted Macehead
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
With a long tubular socket and raised circumferential ribs, three tiers of radiating spikes; found with remains of wooden haft in situ. 312 grams, 80 mm
Found near Farnham Castle, Farnham, Surrey, UK. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Maces were in use since the Bronze Age. In the Medieval Western Europe, maces are attested in England as throwing weapons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the end of 12th century A.D., the mace head was made of metal and was, under the influence of Byzantium, one of the weapons of the armoured knight. Originally of round section and armed with strong pyramidal spikes, the mace head evolved into a cylindrical shape, sometimes reinforced with spikes, most often with flanges.
