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LOT 1884
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 in. (670 grams, 12.1 cm).
Bulbous, undecorated body with dome filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'.
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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LOT 1884
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
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A triangular bronze arrowhead on a display stand with a glass cover. 113 grams total, 16.6 cm including stand
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Luristan Bronze Socketted Adze-Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Short tubular socket with thickened rim, perpendicular short blade with convex cutting edge to the rear, and a larger triangular-section blade with curving blade to the front. 675 grams, 16.5 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The earliest axes-adzes from the 3rd millennium B.C. were weapons and tools furnished with socket holes. Usually, the socket is a more secure way of attaching the object to a wooden haft than having a simple tang. These weapons developed into a plethora of forms in the 2nd millennium B.C., and the numerous new forms were used until at least 800 B.C.
