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LOT 0995
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 in. (553 grams, 11.9 cm).
A piriform missile with domed filler hole, impressed concentric circles to the body, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
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. 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0995
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising a piriform body with raised lugs to the upper body, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 513 grams, 13.7 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Byzantine Lead Plaque with Menorah Inscribed by Jakob the Scribe
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Fish-shaped lead plaque with low-relief stamped panel, menorah and legend; impression from a wine amphora stamp, rectangular with a raised rim in the name of Jakob the Scribe: ΕΙΑ - ΚΟY / ΛΙΛ - ΕΒΑ (retrograde); seven-branched menorah between a shofar (right) and lulav (palm frond) and an etrog (yellow citron). 94 grams, 74 mm
From the collection of a London antiquarian, formed since the 1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The first word is the name Iacobus' (Jakob) and the second word (Λιλεβα) is likely derived from the Latin libellarius (scribe or notary), which was borrowed by Hebrew as ‘לבלר ’ (‘liblar’).The latter term is closer in meaning to the medieval ‘clerk’, than to the typical Hebrew word for scribe, ‘סופר’ (‘sofer’). -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
A hollow piriform missile with domed filler-hole and impressed crescents to the body, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 500 grams, 12.7 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
