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LOT 0933
Byzantine Inscribed Lead Spindle Whorl
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (2.66 grams, 18 mm).
Discoid with central void and portion of the shank embedded; inscribed with Greek characters '+AEB Φ BEPETEAI'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s.
From a gentleman's private collection.
Cf. Tal, O., Piasetzky-David, M., ‘Inscribed Spindle Whorls from a Byzantine Burial Cave at Yavne-Yam, Israel’ in Israel Exploration Journal, vol.70, no.1 (2020), pp.106-113, for similar example in stone (basalt).
FootnotesSimilar objects could have been manufactured to look like spindle whorls, while they were in fact used as beads and/or amulets. The current evidence may suggest that these items were burial goods for females. They are sometimes seen incised with Greek letters and symbols
that seem to suggest a cryptic onomata barbara formula. In this context, they can be viewed as mystical objects with the function of transmitting a message to the Other World, and the sheer mass of letters intended to convey the idea of an authoritative communication inaccessible to ordinary human being.
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Byzantine Inscribed Lead Spindle Whorl
5th-6th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Discoid with central void and portion of the shank embedded; inscribed with Greek characters '+AEB Φ BEPETEAI'. 2.66 grams, 18 mm
Acquired on the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. From a gentleman's private collection.
Similar objects could have been manufactured to look like spindle whorls, while they were in fact used as beads and/or amulets. The current evidence may suggest that these items were burial goods for females. They are sometimes seen incised with Greek letters and symbols that seem to suggest a cryptic onomata barbara formula. In this context, they can be viewed as mystical objects with the function of transmitting a message to the Other World, and the sheer mass of letters intended to convey the idea of an authoritative communication inaccessible to ordinary human being. -
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Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant and Angel Finial
6th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £78
Comprising: a cruciform pendant with notching to each arm and integral suspension loop; a finial crowned with an angel or seraphim. 21.83 grams total, 31-57 mm
Ex old English collection. London art market, 1980s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Piriform body with vertical ribbing along the whole length, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 556 grams, 13.1 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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.
