Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1475
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 5/8 in. (722 grams, 14.2 cm).
A ceramic missile, piriform in profile with lattice pattern to the shoulder, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From a military inspired collection formed from the 1990s.
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'.
Literature
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.
Footnotes
Apart 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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 1475
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
RELATED LOTS
-
Western Asiatic Bronze Short Sword
1800-1600 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
With a rectangular grooved tang with vertical lines running to the crescent pommel, the rhomboid ricasso extending over the blade, blade with raised ridge tapering to a point. 533 grams, 49 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Medieval Iron Caltrop Anti-Cavalry Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
A group of ten iron anti-cavalry caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. 599 grams total, 77-96 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
P. Žákovský has been able to classify medieval caltrops, mainly from the 13th to 15th century A.D., on the basis of their morphology, into four main typologies, each with different variants. Caltrops with single-pointed spikes, whose interpretation, however, is often ambiguous belong to type I. The other three types represent classic four-pointed caltrops, and individual types in this group differ from one another just in their cross-section. -
.jpg)
Arab 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Piriform body decorated with concentric circles inside a pointed star pattern, with domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 610 grams, 11.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The Arabs, following the Roman examples, made great use of these weapons. The efficiency of the weapon appears, for example, from the account of the siege of Akka in 1189, given by the contemporary historian Ibn al-Athir. He tells how the Christians exercised their engineering skill and built mighty beffroys. The situation was hopeless for the defending Arabs until a man from Damascus showed up, because he knew how to produce Greek Fire: ‘To trick the Christians he first threw some vesseIs with naptha and other things, which were not set on fire, upon one of the beffroy’s, and it was without power. The Christians...climbed the top of the beffroy...the man from Damascus waited until the contents of the vessels were spread all over. When the moment came, he threw a new pot, which was set on fire. In a few moments the fire was spread all over, and the beffroy was eaten up by the flames. The fire was spread in such a hurry that the Christians could not manage to climb down from the beffroy. Men, weapons, everything was eaten up by the flames.’
