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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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Large Luristan Leaf-Shaped Bronze Spearhead
Circa 1000-700 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Comprising a leaf-shaped blade with a midrib and a long tapering socket; accompanied by a display stand. 771 grams total, 44 cm including stand
with Art Ancient, London, UK. Private collection, London.
The spear, belonging to type 3 of the Khorasani classification, was used by chariot fighters to strike each other or the enemy infantry from above. Similar specimens with longer sockets were excavated by Negahban in the Amlash area. According to Moorey, sockets as long, if not longer than the blade, are a characteristic of Iranian spearheads in the late 2nd and early 1st millennium B.C. A similar spearhead from the Tappeh Sialk has been dated to the 9th-7th century B.C. -
Late Roman Period Iron Narrow Axehead
Germany, 3rd-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Narrow axe with curved blade and oval socket with a flat extension to the rear. 616 grams, 15.5 cm
Ex M. Spiegelberg collection, since 1991; thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous yellow cataloguing slip. -
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Piriform in profile with a stepped neck, incised decoration and three raised lugs; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 427 grams, 14.8 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.
