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LOT 0176
Byzantine Silver Magical Plaque with St. Sisinnius
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/4 in. (4.13 grams, 31 mm).
Ovoid plaque with incised amuletic ornament; obverse with nimbate horseman bearing a cross potent spearing a supine stylised female figure, Greek legend above 'oΑΓΟC CICINIC' (St. Sisinnius); reverse with advancing lion and Syrian and Greek legend relating to Μαρία η Αιγυπτία (St. Mary of Egypt).
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
FootnotesIn Byzantine folklore, St Sisinnius was the supernatural horseman and opponent of the Gelloudes, a class of female witches.
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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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.
