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Details
LOT 1466
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/2 in (885 grams, 16.3 cm).
A piriform vessel with short neck, domed lip and conical base, bands to the shoulder with impressed annulets and other detailing; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From the collection of a North London gentleman, latterly with a London gallery as a display collection exhibiting the wide range of decorative types; 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.
Literature
See 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 Gefasse aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16.
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