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LOT 1342
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 7/8 in. (708 grams, 15 cm).
Piriform body with thick ribs to the shoulder and impressed panels between, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade.
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 Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16; the shape finds correspondence with a fire grenade in the Kars Museum, no.14.09.2009.
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 1342
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
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Lead Musket Ball Collection
17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Group of ninty-nine lead musket and pistol balls. 2.08 kg total, 12-18 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. -
Luristan Bronze Socketted Adze
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With short tubular socket and flared cutting edge perpendicular to the socket. 590 grams, 14.5 cm
From an old English collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex gentleman; acquired on the UK art market. -
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit with Animals
Circa 11th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £700
Comprising a pair of ram-shaped cheek-pieces with a hole through the body for the straight mouthpiece with looped terminals. 690 grams, 17.5 cm wide
From a collection formed in Paris in the 1990s.
The horse bits were transformed by Luristan people in to expressions of applied art. Metalworkers employed animal motifs, both realistic and imaginary, for their cheek-pieces. The question of whether these horse bits were for real use or only for use in a funerary context is superfluous, as signs of wear have been documented, and the goads and loops on interiors are functionally designed. The use of such horse bits is clearly documented in Assyrian reliefs of the time of Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.).
