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LOT 1458
Hellenistic Bronze Cuirass Section
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
9 in. (261 grams, 23 cm).
Possibly the upper right front element of a composite cuirass for a cataphract (armoured horseman), part of the edge around the neck and shoulders preserved, rivets and clasp for attachment of the back section present. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection, acquired in 1996.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Connolly, P., Greece and Rome at War, London, 2006, figs.p.55-56, for the typology of armour and similar fragments.
FootnotesA near complete armour for cataphract was found in the French excavations in Al-Khanoum, a Hellenistic city in Afghanistan. The cavalry of Seleucid, Ptolemaic and other Hellenistic Kingdoms formed regiments of heavy armoured horsemen, who in the west, employed a combination of lamellar and segmented armour together with muscled armour of Greek type. Cataphract armour in the West had more Greek element, for example more plate armour and less scale and lamellar.
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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Large Luristan Bronze Dirk
12th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £294
With raised flanges to the grip, possibly to accept organic inserts, tapering triangular blade with a strong mid-rib. 216 grams, 39.5 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.
The dirk belongs to Type IIIa bronze dirks of the Medveskaya classification. It was cast in one piece (hilt and blade). The presence of the mid-rib however represents an exception to the general typology. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Comprising a variety of tanged triangular and leaf-shaped arrowheads with thick mid-rib, one barbed-and-tanged example. 375 grams total, 7.7-16 cm
Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
One category of the represented arrowheads has a sharp, flat blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang that often has a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more triangular. Another form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib extending to the tang, and a narrow leaf-shaped blade. -
Hellenistic Rhodian Lead Slingshot with Scorpion
3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
Lentoid-section and depicting a stylised scorpion to one side, a type sometimes known to have the Rhodian legend ΚΑΛΑ to verso. 29.6 grams, 29 mm
From a Manchester, UK, collection, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. The slingshots with an image of a scorpion on one side and with an inscription ΚΑΛΑ on the other are believed to originate from the Island of Rhodes. On these sling bullets ΚΑΛΑ should be translated as “nice things.” Of course, ironically, these “nice things” were designed to kill enemies and to sting like a scorpion, and the message of those with the image of a scorpion could be understood, as proposed by M. Manov and N. Torbov, as: “nice things sting like a scorpion.”
