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LOT 1420
Greek and Other Bronze Arrowhead Collection
CIRCA 5TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
1 - 1 5/8 in. (63.5 grams total, 24-42 mm).
The group comprising triangular trilobate types, all socketted. [20]
ProvenanceEx London art market, 1980-1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. similar Graeco-Persian arrowheads in Head, D., The Achaemenid Persian Army, Stockport, 1992, figs.13,16.
FootnotesIn the Greek warfare, archers were mainly employed by Scythians and Cretans. Both used composite bows made of wood, horn, bone and sinew. This explains the great range of Scythian arrowheads found on the Greek sites.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek and Other Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Including leaf-shaped type with tang, triangular-section type with long shank, barbed and tanged and other types. 103 grams total, 4.4-14.4 cm
From a UK private collection, before 1980; property of a North London gentleman; acquired on the UK art market; and ex Abelita family collection, 1980-2015. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
Graeco-Scythian Iron Flat Axehead
5th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Flat in section and trapezoidal in plan with two lateral spurs, straight edge. 175 grams, 15.7 cm
From a private East European collection. From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Piriform in profile with domed mouth; raised lugs to the body with impressed texture in between; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 719 grams, 14 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'.
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.
