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LOT 1499
Greek and Scythian Bronze Arrowhead Collection
CIRCA 5TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
3/4 - 1 3/8 in. (137 grams total, 20-34 mm).
A mixed group of socketted arrowheads, including some triangular types.
ProvenanceEx London, UK, collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. for similar arrowheads Head, D., The Achaemenid Persian Army, Stockport 1992, figs.13j, 16b-c, 32q.
FootnotesIn ancient 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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LOT 1499
Greek and Scythian Bronze Arrowhead Collection
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£50 (EUR 58; USD 68) +BP*
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Large Luristan Bronze Adze
Bronze Age, 2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Short tubular socket with raised ribs, perpendicular rectangular-section blade with convex cutting edge. 462 grams, 16.5 cm
From a UK collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes, and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which a core was inserted to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Monogram
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised monogram (caduceus?) on one side. 30.6 grams, 33 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Large bulbous body and a domed filler-hole, two circumferential bands above the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 743 grams, 13.4 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.
