Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade

Piriform body decorated with concentric circles inside a horizontal band, raised ornamental neck, with domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 430 grams, 12 cm



From a military inspired collection formed from the 1990s.

The Arabs made good use of these weapons. Their efficiency was described in 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 skills and built mighty siege towers. 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 vessels with naphtha and other things, which were not set on fire, upon one of the siege towers, and it was without power. The Christians...climbed the top of the siege tower...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 siege tower 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 siege tower. Men, weapons, everything was eaten up by the flames.’

Piriform body with domed filler-hole, band of large concentric circles and groups of triangles to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 593 grams, 12 cm



From 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'.

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.

A short sword or dagger with slender triangular blade, low round midrib, penannular guard, scooped shoulders, columnar grip with three gusseted hoops, truncated-conical pommel decorated with parallel horizontal circles. 477 grams, 42.5 cm



Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.

These kind of bronze daggers or dirks, typical of Marlik culture, were cast in a one piece mould according to Negahban, although in some specimens the penannular guard was later cast into the blade. The separate sets of encircling ribs on the grips are again typical of swords from the Marlik area.