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LOT 2045
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 in. (910 grams, 12.2 cm).
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s.
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 2045
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Estimate £70 - 90€81 - 104 (for guidance only)$95 - 122 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
-
Mahdi Arm Dagger with Sheath
Sudan, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a triangular two-edged blade with thick midrib running to the tip, carved wooden hilt with median band of horizontal ribbing, integral crossguard and pommel with a domed button; leather sheath with braided leather thong forming a thick suspension loop and leather-covered knop forming a chape. 136 grams, 24.5 cm
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. -
North-Western Persian Sword Blade
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Triangular blade with raised midrib extending to a rectangular-section tang. 235 grams, 38 cm
From a UK collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. -
Sudanese Kaskara Sword with Scabbard
Late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a two-edged straight-sided blade with shallow point, square-section crossguard with two vertical clips to grip the scabbard, columnar leather-bound grip and disc pommel; the wooden scabbard covered with leather decorated with heavily tooled bands, crocodile-skin panels to the chape and attachment collars, flared leaf-shaped lower body; broad tooled leather belt with securing laces. 1.25 kg, 10.5.5 cm
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.
