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LOT 1962
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 in. (605 grams, 12.8 cm).
Drum-shaped body with rounded base and domed filler hole, impressed leaf motifs on the shoulder; 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. v
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 1962
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*
-
Greek Lead Slingshot with Scorpion and Thunderbolt of Zeus
3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Biconical in profile with a scorpion in raised relief on one side, and a bundle of thunderbolts on the other side. 35.2 grams, 36 mm
Previously property of an Austrian collector, Vienna, Austria. From a German private collection, formed since the 1980s. -
Beja or Hadendoa Curved Dagger with Crocodile-Head Sheath
Sudan, late 19th-early 20th century A.D.Estimate: £120 - 170 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a thin two-edged blade with curved tip and X-shaped wooden hilt with rounded fluting; leather sheath with moulded detailing and stamped roundels adorned with the preserved head of a crocodile placed vertically at the top as if the dagger were between its jaws. 190 grams, 27.5 cm
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole, an impressed circumferential band on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 370 grams, 93 mm
Ex 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'.
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.
