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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]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
LiteratureSee 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.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
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Comprising a hexagonal-section socket and seven radiating lobes with incised slash detailing. 70 grams, 36.6 mm
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Viking Age Iron Socketted Bearded Axehead
Circa 10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Finely curved, broad blade with square chin to the lower edge, rounded socket with lateral triangular extensions; professionally cleaned, conserved, and restored. 552 grams, 16 cm
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This type of bearded axe seems to correspond to the E2 category of the Viking axe classification, but also has affinity with the Slavic axes of type Y. Usually, these bearded axeheads (skeggöks) had a longer edge, designed to split tree trunks into planks and beams. Some of the bearded axes were known as halfÞynna öx; the neck on such a 'half thin axe' was thinly forged, to make it lighter. -
Miniature Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Small and biconical in profile with narrow point; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 89 grams, 67 mm
From 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.
