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LOT 1429
Greek Bronze Cuirass Section of Thorax Stadios
4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
8 5/8 in. (250 grams, 22 cm).
Possibly the lower left side element of a cavalry armour of thorax stadios (muscled armour) typology, upper, lower and external side with well preserved edge, fastening holes visible. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection, acquired in 1996.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Connolly, P., Greece and Rome at War, London, 2006, figs.p.56, on the bottom, right.
FootnotesArmour for cavalrymen in classical Greece were specially designed with these characteristics. They were very broad on the hips to enable their wearers to sit a horse. Important parallels are known from South Italy, one of them preserved in the Bari Museum.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1429
Greek Bronze Cuirass Section of Thorax Stadios
Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
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Large Luristan Bronze Gorz
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Of tapering cylindrical form with flange to socket, the upper body displaying vertical columns of chevrons between plain bands. 374 grams, 14.5 cm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This gorz mace head belongs to the category of truncheon-shaped mace heads, a type developed on the Iranian plateau during the Bronze Age, used by Elamite and Luristan warriors since the 3rd millennium B.C. This category of objects was also interpreted as a part of a shaft or cudgel, but most scholars agree on the interpretation of use as a mace. -
Canaanite 'Window' Bronze Axehead
2100-1800 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £737
Curving blade with two large 'eye-shaped' openings, cylindrical socket. 142 grams, 11 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The ‘window’ axes have several morphological characteristics. The blade, semi-circular or elongated in shape, always ended in a rounded edge. In this type the blade was flat in section. It included two openings at its base—windows—of varying width, circular or oval. The haft consisted of a collar as wide as the blade. The weapon was threaded into an elongated wooden handle, often curved at its base, of oval section, with a differential width promoting the strength of the haft. It was thus wedged, and a rivet passed through the handle, just above the axe, serving as a stop. -
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Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
A hollow vessel with cylindrical body, short neck and domed mouth, impressed herringbone decoration to the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 452 grams, 18 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.
