Items of Irish Military and Services Interest

Comprising a heavy quadrilateral bolt with short tang, two tanged arrowheads and one with a conical socket. 77 grams total, 33-71 mm



One acquired from Coincraft, London, UK. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. Accompanied by an original certificate of authenticity from Coincraft. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

Broad sheet-bronze halter-shaped collar with dentilled outer edge, in two offset overlapped layers; bands of repoussé domed pellets to the outer and inner edges, rectangular cells to accept glass or organic inserts, two clusters of circular cells surrounding rectangular ones; the surface with dense hatching and reserved tendril and leaf motifs; attachment loops to reverse. 638 grams, 34.5 cm



German art market. European private collection, 1970s-early 2000s. Acquired from the above; thence by descent. Private collection, London. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12282-221445. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

A large piriform missile with domed filler-hole, a band of impressed annulets to the shoulder and circumferential bands to the lowed body, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 957 grams, 15.2 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.

Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16. 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.