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LOT 1825
Greek Slingshot with Snake
4TH-1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 1/4 in. (31.2 grams, 31 mm).
Lentoid in form with raised figure of a coiled snake to one face, possible legend to reverse.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Austria.
Private collection, Europe.
Cf. Manov, M., Torbov, N. Inscribed Lead Sling Bullets with the name of Alexander the Great and with other Names and Symbols found in Thrace in Archaeologia Bulgarica XX, 2 (2016), pp.29-43, fig.14, for a shot with a similar symbol.
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
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1825
Greek Slingshot with Snake
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Bactrian Bronze Decorated Socketted Axehead
Bronze Age, 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £351
Comprising a short tubular socket with flared neck to the angled blade; incised herringbone ornament to both faces flanked by pounced triangular panels in bilinear bands, 104 grams, 11.6 cm
From an old English collection formed since 1960. -
Greek Mauritanian Kingdom Lead Slingshot of King Mastanesosus
Circa 80-49 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Lentoid in form with raised legend to obverse 'REX·SOS'; Neo-Punic monogram to reverse. 72.8 grams, 40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market, early 2000s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian.
This remarkable slingshot offers a rare insight into a little-known period in the history of the Kingdom of Mauretania in the first century BC. The piece can be linked to King Mastanesosus, who is known to have shortened his name to “Sos.” He was the son of Bocchus I (c. 110–80s BC), the ruler who famously betrayed King Jugurtha of Numidia to Sulla and the Roman Republic. The Latin inscription reflects Rome's growing influence at the time. It may even suggest that Roman slingers were part of Sosus’s army. During this period, Mauretania was already coming under Roman control and influence. Later, Bocchus II, the grandson of Sosus, supported the winning side in Rome’s civil war, and Mauretania became a client kingdom. This eventually led to its full absorption into the Roman Empire after the murder of King Ptolemy, son of Juba, by the emperor Caligula. The reverse of the slingshot shows a monogram in neo-Punic, similar to those found on coins from the same period. This is almost certainly a personal symbol or mark of Sosus himself. The use of both Latin and Neo-Punic makes the piece bilingual, which is particularly interesting. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscription and Bee
3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Lentoid-section and depicting a bee to one side and the inscription 'ΚΑΛΑ' on the other. 30.4 grams, 31 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The slingshots with an inscription ΚΑΛΑ are believed to originate from the island of Rhodes. On these sling bullets, ΚΑΛΑ should be translated as “nice things.” Together with the Balearic slingers, Rhodian slingers were considered to be the best of the Hellenistic world, and they were also used in the Roman army.
