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LOT 0180
Eastern Byzantine Gold Ring with Dove
6TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (1.28 grams, 18.38 mm overall, 17.20 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)).
Narrow tapering hoop with discoid bezel, engraved scroll to each shoulder, reserved dove image to the bezel; ancient repair.
ProvenanceUK private collection before 2000.
Acquired on the UK art market.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Gold Dagger Pommel Cap with Garnets
Circa 8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Sheet gold dome with braided filigree band to the rim, three vertical bands and three cells each set with a garnet cabochon, collar to the apex. 2.13 grams, 22 mm
From a continental collection prior to 2000. Acquired on the UK art market in 2010. Ex property of a UK gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Eastern Roman daggers of 7th-8th centuries typically displayed gold ornaments embellished with garnets and filigree, visible on the specimens gifted by the Empire to foreign rulers, such as the famous Bulgarian leader Kuvrat. -
Eastern Byzantine Gold Ring with Dove
6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £702
Narrow tapering hoop with discoid bezel, engraved scroll to each shoulder, reserved dove image to the bezel; ancient repair. 1.28 grams, 18.38 mm overall, 17.20 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Piriform in profile with domed mouth and narrow point, the body with raised lugs and bosses on a stamped background; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 780 grams, 13.8 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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.