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LOT 0318
Greek Iron Short Sword
HELLENISTIC, 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.
22 in. (400 grams, 56 cm).
Lentoid in section with two cutting edges and narrow point; slight flare towards the tip; small shoulder and rectangular-section tang.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
See Esposito, G. Armies of the Hellenistic States 323 BC to AD 30. Stroud, 2019 for discussion; Cf. British Museum accession no. 1868,1025.98 for similar (with hilt intact).
FootnotesThis style of straight, parallel-sided weapon is referred to in Greek sources of the time as a xiphe. It was a secondary battlefield armament after the spear and javelin. It is associated with the revolutionary developments in armour, weaponry and tactics between the Classical and Iron Age periods.
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14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Piriform in profile with a domed mouth and a stepped neck; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 505 grams, 15.7 cm
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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 Socketted Axehead
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Luristan Bronze Socketted Adze
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Short tubular socket with raised ribs, perpendicular rectangular-section blade with convex cutting edge. 402 grams, 17.6 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
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.
