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LOT 1457
Iron Dagger and Sabre Group
CIRCA 19TH CENTURY A.D.
14 1/4 - 2 3/8 in. (563 grams total, 36-61 cm).
Comprising: long, narrow single-edged blade with swept profile and long tip; short, sturdy single-edged blade with applied bronze bolster. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
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Western Asiatic Grey Stone Mace Head
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Piriform in profile with vertical socket expanding towards the base, short rounded neck. 410 grams, 72 mm
Ex London gentleman's collection, 1990s. -
Viking Age and Later Axehead Group
Circa 10th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Comprising socketted axeheads of various types; some possibly stamped with maker's marks. 7 kg total, 16-24.5 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection.
An axe similar to those of our group was found in the fortified camp of Péran, in Brittany, among the objects that emerged from a conflagration due to the attack of Alain Barbetorte's Bretons on a Viking camp, in 936 A.D. These axes were certainly work tools, although in case of necessity they could also serve as improvised weapons -
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Cylindrical in form with tapering foot, three radiating vertical flanges to the body with ribbing between, carinated shoulder with impressed points, domed mouth. 587 grams, 17 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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'.
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.
