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LOT 1555
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 7/8 in. (455 grams, 15 cm).
Piriform, undecorated 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 1555
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
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Iron Age Celtic La Tene Ritually Bent Sword
Circa 450 B.C.– 50 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £351
An iron long sword of Stead's Type II with two-edged, parallel-sided flat-section blade, rounded shoulders, long lenticular-section tang with knop finial. 760 grams total, 40 cm
Acquired on the German art market. Private collection, Germany. Kept in the UK from 2016. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Spearhead
9th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Comprising a leaf-shaped blade with a midrib and a long tapering socket; accompanied by a display stand, repaired. 365 grams total, spearhead: 36.5 cm (38.2 cm including stand)
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The spear, belonging to type 3 of the Khorasani classification, was used by chariot fighters to strike each other or the enemy infantry from above. Similar specimens with longer sockets were excavated by Negahban in the Amlash area. According to Moorey, sockets as long, if not longer than the blade, are a characteristic of Iranian spearheads in the late 2nd and early 1st millennium B.C. A similar spearhead from the Tappeh Sialk has been dated to the 9th-7th century B.C. -
Roman Bronze Tool with Maker's Mark
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Comprising a triangular blade with lobes to the angles of the lower edge; narrow neck and tubular socket; stamped '[A]R FEC' (... made [this]). 29.8 grams, 12 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Possibly a kitchen tool for scraping; the edge has been roughly sharpened.
