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LOT 1115
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 7/8 in. (912 grams, 15 cm).
Ovoid in profile with incised dot decoration on the upper body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s.
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 1115
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
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Byzantine Silver-Gilt Filigree Earrings
8th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £170
A matching pair of hoop earrings, each adorned with intricate openwork spheres with filigree and applied pellets. 9.48 grams total, 30-31 mm
Private collection, UK. -
Byzantine Green Glazed Sgraffito Footed Bowl
13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Carinated in profile with narrow flared base, green-glazed upper body; to the inner face a central roundel with zigzag fill and a zigzag band above the gallery, to the outer face horizontal zigzag band to the shoulder; old Christie's label with '144/2 5540'. 372 grams, 13 cm
Ex Charles Gillot (1853-1903). with Christie's, Paris, 2008. European private collection. -
Byzantine Bronze Ring with Monogram
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
An expanding hoop with decorated shoulders, an octagonal bezel with a monogram, composed of the Greek letters 'Χ [ΑΙΡΕ] ΔΥωΝ[Υ]C (?)' = Be glad Dyoniys. 5.76 grams, 24.25 mm overall, 20.14 mm internal diameter (approximate size British S, USA 9, Europe 20, Japan 19)
Acquired on the UK and EU art market before 2000. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The plate and hoop of these rings were soldered together. This system probably originated only in the late period of the Eastern Roman Empire, as evidenced by the faceting of the sides and the irregularity in the letters forming the name.
