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LOT 1546
Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscription
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 1/8 in. (39.1 grams, 29 mm).
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised legend 'ΛΥΣΙΑ' (commander's name, Lisia) on one side. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. for a similar bullet (different inscription) Tsaravopoulos, A., ‘Evidence of war in a Pirates ’City of the Hellenistic Period (Island Antikythera/Aigilia Greece)’ in Sirbu, V., Schuster, C., Hortopan, D., Warriors and their weapons in Bronze and Iron Ages, Proceedings of the 21st International Colloquium of Funerary Archaeology 25th-28th May, 2023, Târgu Jiu, Gorj County (Romania), Braila, 2023, pp.301-320, fig.18; for bullets with the same inscription see Özenir, S.A., 'Some inscribed Lead Sling Bullets from Miletos' in Epigraphica Anatolica 50, 2017, pp.167-178, figs.51-53.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Ovoid body with pointed base and 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. 685 grams, 16 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. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Macedonian Star
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Biconical in profile with a casting seam and a rayed solar symbol, the so-called Argead Star, on one side. 27.2 grams, 30 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The rayed solar symbol (Argead Star, Vergina Star) is interpreted as the historical royal symbol of the ancient Macedonian Dynasty of the Argeads, with its most famous member being Alexander the Great. -
Large Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
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Triangular blade with raised midrib and a short tang. 134 grams, 28.4 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1990s.
