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LOT 0939
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/8 in. (662 grams, 15.5 cm).
Piriform body with vertical ribs and impressed roundels across the whole surface, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards.
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.
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 0939
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
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Byzantine Bronze Stamp Seal with Inscription
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
With a short shank and oblate pierced finial, hexafoil base; to the underside a reversed legend 'ANAL[Γ} / ΦOΔ[D]O / ***'. 12.3 grams, 19 mm
Acquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. From a gentleman's private collection.
The seal was probably used for stamping bread in a church. Usually these stamps had two parts: a flat surface with inscriptions or geometric shapes, and a handle. The inscription is an enigma: the upper part can be read [Aθ]ANA[TOC] = Immortal and (if we accept the L like an inversed Γ (gamma) [A]Γ[ΙΟϹ] i.e. Saint = Saint Immortal, one of the three invocation to God (Saint God, Saint Mighty, Saint Immortal). However, the second row of letters is in Greek and Latin (φο-do) if we accept the letter D as a transliteration of the Greek letter Delta. -
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Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
With remains of notch detailing to the outer edges of the arms, two links of the suspension chain. 2.58 grams, 38 mm
Ex DRG Coins and Antiquities, Essex, UK. Ex private Merseyside, UK, collection.
The example of a bronze cross corresponds, in shape and style, to a typology also known in organic material, specifically in wood. Dating this typology is difficult, as it is not easy to identify its place of origin or the context with which these crosses were associated. -
Byzantine Silver Cross with Cross on Body
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Cruciform amulet with expanding arms, disc to the centre with low-relief cross symbol. 1.45 grams, 22 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
