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LOT 0290
Elamite Copper Axehead with 'Animal' Face
LATE 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 in. (206 grams, 78 mm).
Plain cylindrical shaft, bulbous towards the top with an incised animal face to the rear of the shaft, the blade with a convex cutting edge.
Provenancewith a London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s.
LiteratureCf. Mahboubian, H., Art of Ancient Iran, copper and bronze, London, 1997, p.170, fig.178b, for similar type; Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, p.124, fig.2.6, subtype H2.B.b.
FootnotesThe type belongs to the Gernez classification of collared axes, with trapezoidal blade and cylindrical sleeve. This set of fairly standardised axes is characterised by a trapezoidal blade, a cylindrical collar with a clear moulding at its base and a marked angular moulding at its top, extending onto the top of the blade. This basic model is exclusively from Susa.
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Piriform body with segmented shoulder and impressed roundels, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 294 grams, 91 mm
From a military inspired collection formed from the 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. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
Circa 2nd millennium B.C.-9th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Including triangular, leaf-shaped, barbed, square-section, and other types. 446 grams total, 10-17.5 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.
It is significant to remember that the use of winged and barbed heads in Anatolia was common since the second millennium B.C., but apparently their employment began earlier in this area, where types like these occur alongside the non-barbed, predominantly ribbed and tanged types. -
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1800-1600 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
With a rectangular grooved tang with vertical lines running to the crescent pommel, the rhomboid ricasso extending over the blade, blade with raised ridge tapering to a point. 533 grams, 49 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.
