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LOT 1444
Greek Slingshot with Serpent
4TH-1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 1/8 in. (31.8 grams, 29 mm).
Lentoid in form with raised legend 'A[...]A' and to reverse, a coiled serpent; casting seam; the legend is probably 'AΓOPOY' (maker's name).
ProvenancePrivate collection, Austria.
Private collection, Europe.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Group
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £187
Including barbed-and tanged, leaf-shaped, slender triangular and other types. 286 grams total, 4.8-16 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. 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 lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Heavy Luristan Bronze Dolabra
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
A combined adze- and axe-head with central shaft hole and curved blades. 1.42 kg, 23.5 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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Bulbous body with pointed tip and domed mouth, concentric circle motifs to the body and circumferential banding to the upper and lower body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 684 grams, 12 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.
