Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1480
Greek Lead Slingshot of Alexander the Great
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 1/4 in. (29.6 grams, 30 mm).
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved legend 'ΑΛ[EXANΔΡΟ]Υ.', the club of Herakles on the other side. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Acquired on the German art market before 2000.
Private collection, Munich, Germany.
Literature
See Akat Özenir, S., ‘Some Inscribed Lead Sling Bullets from Miletos’ in Epigraphica Anatolica 50 (2017), pp. 167–178, nos.19-21, for similar.
Footnotes
The presence of the club of Herakles connects the slingshot with the Macedonian Dynasty. Similar slingshots were found in Miletos.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Piriform in profile with a rounded base, and two circumferential bands on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 465 grams, 13.7 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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. -
Western Asiatic Arrowhead and Blade Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Comprising mainly triangular and leaf-shaped tanged types, narrow blades with midrib. 725 grams total, 9.3-21 cm
From a London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Large Greek Socketted Iron Spearhead
Sarissa, circa 3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Comprising a leaf-shaped lentoid-section blade and long tubular socket. 826 grams, 38.5 cm
Ex Hermann Historica, 7 October 2009, no.207 (Part). Private collection, Germany. Kept in the UK from 2016.
