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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 Amlash Bronze Spear-Head
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Slender blade with raised midrib and a short, pierced tang; Amlash or Marlik. 300 grams, 39 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1990s. -
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. -
Large North-West Persian Bronze Dirk
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Slender blade with raised midrib and a short tang. 217 grams, 39.7 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1990s.
