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LOT 1495
Celtic Iron Open Socketted Splayed Axehead
LATE HALLSTATT-EARLY LA TENE PERIOD, CIRCA 450 B.C.
3 1/4 in. (155 grams, 84 mm).
Flaring blade with a rectangular-section folded socket. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx M. Spiegelberg collection, since 1989-1992; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of a previous yellow cataloguing slip.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1495
Celtic Iron Open Socketted Splayed Axehead
Estimate £50 - 70€58 - 81 (for guidance only)$68 - 95 (for guidance only)
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Mesopotamian Bronze Javelin Head
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £75
With a foliate blade, rhomboidal in section, raised mid-rib, medium-length stem widening at its base and forming a small stop, rectangular-section tang with bent terminal. 204 grams, 38.5 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The specimen belongs to the category of tripartite spears with a long, pointed biconvex blade and a single bevelled tang. They seem to be a Mesopotamian and Susian (Elamite) variant, and this type also includes decorated blades, like the spear from Tello with the inscription 'King of Kish'. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £90
Comprising a tapering leaf-shaped blade with a raised midrib and a short tapering tang. 245 grams, 35 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Ovoid body with pointed base and domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 510 grams, 11.9 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. 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.
