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LOT 1805
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/2 in. (797 grams, 14.1 cm).
Ovoid in profile with domed filler hole, linear decoration; 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 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'.
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 1805
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
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Luristan Bronze Socketted Spearhead
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a leaf-shaped blade with a raised midrib and a tapering tubular socket. 317 grams, 23.7 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The spear belongs to the type VIII classified by Khorasani (spearheads with well-projecting midribs and long folded sockets) and more specifically to subtype C (with leaf-shaped blade and short hollow socket). Usually the willow-leaf blade has an almost straight shoulder base and a wide, flat midrib tapering towards the point. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Macedonian Star
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Biconical in profile with casting seam and the Macedonian Star on one side. 27.8 grams, 28 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
In Greek warfare, slingers appear as psiloi, lightly equipped troops who skirmished ahead of a phalanx or alongside peltasts. Some city-states likely trained their own slingers; others were specialists. Rhodian slingers became famous in the 4th century B.C. because the islanders had a tradition of practice. In the Peloponnese, in mainland Greece, and along the Aegean coast, slingers fought in both field operations and sieges. The practice survived into the Roman period, during which specialist mercenaries, like the Rhodians or the Balearic slingers, were still in use. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead or Javelin Head with Inscribed X
Late 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Leaf-shaped with two cutting edges and a broad point, low midrib, on the face an incised 'X' in a square. 15.17 grams, 11.34 cm
Ex Guttman collection, Germany. with Christie's, 28 April 2004, no.27 (part). Acquired from Bidancient and Artifacts UK, 2009. Ex important collection of Greek artefacts, London, UK.
The letter X has been found in various Semitic/Accadic or even Philistine Inscriptions in the Levant: dated between 13th-10th centuries B.C.: on the Lachish bowl no.1, on the Ruweiseh arrowhead, on a Byblian bronze spatula, on the Ahiram graffito, at Yehimilk. This suggests that the arrow or javelin head has been made in the Levant or the Fertile Crescent.
