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LOT 1470
Indo-Persian Inlaid Iron Talwar with Scabbard
EARLY-MID 20TH CENTURY A.D.
25 1/4 in. (823 grams, 64 cm).
Comprising a curved damascened steel blade, hilt with horse-head pommel, knuckle-guard and stub quilolons; scabbard with two suspension points, inlaid white-metal detailing.
ProvenancePrivate collection, UK.
LiteratureCf. Mierzejewska, A., Chodiński, A.R., Broń Orientu, (Weapons of the Orient) Catalogue of the Toruń Regional Museum, Toruń, 2009, fig.16, p.29.
FootnotesThis is an example of a saber mass-produced for tourists at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This is evidenced by the carelessly executed decoration of the engraved ornament covering the main part of the scabbard, as well as the inferior technique of decorating the hilt. However, it is a solid replica of the swords used in real combat.
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 1470
Indo-Persian Inlaid Iron Talwar with Scabbard
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
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Luristan Bronze Tanged Spearhead
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Western Asiatic Paddle-Shaped Axehead
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Greek Mauritanian Kingdom Lead Slingshot of King Mastanesosus
Circa 80-49 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved monogram to obverse 'REX·SOS'; Neo-Punic monogram to reverse. 67.3 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 B.C. 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 inscription in Latin shows the growing influence of Rome 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.
