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LOT 1816
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 in. (360 grams, 12.1 cm).
Ovoid body with impressed dot decoration, domed 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 1816
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
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Luristan Bronze Socketted Spearhead
9th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a tapering tubular socket with raised ribs, a triangular blade with a raised midrib; ferrel collars to the shaft. 80 grams, 18.6 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
These kinds of spearheads were realised by casting in a mould. They were of different lengths and used by Luristan, Hamadan, early Median and Achaemenid warriors. The bronze rings were destined to reinforce the structure of the bronze shaft, because the blow, with this spear, was usually delivered by grasping the spear with two hands. -
Roman Iron Anti-Cavalry Caltrop Group
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Comprising six caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. 338 grams total, 76-93 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
Caltrops were scattered on battlefields in an effort to stop or slow advancing enemy cavalry or foot soldiers; regardless of how a caltrop lands, one spike is always facing upwards. Caesar used them widely at Alesia (Caes., BG 7.73; 82): 'Stakes a foot long, with iron hooks attached to them, were entirely sunk in the ground before these, and were planted in every place at small intervals; these they called spurs'. -
Luristan Bronze Spearhead
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Foliate blade with a central rib and slender shoulders, short rectangular shaft and tang with a bent finial. 643 grams, 42.2 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
A number of similar blades, some considered to be spearheads and others to be daggers, all with a bent tang, derived from Tepe Hissar Culture III. Some of them, like our specimen, have a button terminal, and some others have a plain, pointed terminal. The general dating of these specimens is fixed to the early 2nd millennium B.C.
