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LOT 1055
Byzantine Terracotta Pilgrim's Holy Water Ampula with St Menas
5TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
3 3/4 in. (106 grams, 96 mm).
Hollow body discoid in profile and lentoid in section with thick loop handles to the shoulders, low-relief scene of a nimbate man between beasts to obverse, similar flanked by crosses pommee to reverse.
ProvenanceFrom a Scottish gentleman’s collection, Glasgow, formed from the early 2000s.
LiteratureCf. Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, items 286-289, for type.
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
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1055
Byzantine Terracotta Pilgrim's Holy Water Ampula with St Menas
Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Ovoid in profile with rounded base, two deep circumeferential grooves on the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 604 grams, 14.3 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Piriform in profile with a band of impressed annulets on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 533 grams, 11.9 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Piriform in profile with a band of impressed motifs above the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 500 grams, 13.2 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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.
