Loading, please wait...
LOT 1543
Large Amlash Bronze Spearhead
1200-1100 B.C.
12 5/8 in. (280 grams, 32.5 cm).
Tapering leaf-shaped blade with raised midrib developing to a sturdy V-shaped shank, tapering rectangular-section tang.
ProvenanceAcquired 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.
See Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, s. cat 279-280, for type.
FootnotesThe weapon belongs to the type 1 of the spear-head classification of Khorasani, mainly from Marlik or Amlash areas. Similar pieces have been dated by Stutzinger to 1200-1100 B.C.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Large Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade with TL Test
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Piriform body with impressed teardrop-shaped motifs and raised lugs to the upper body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 1.14 kg, 17.5 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report by Oxford Authentication with sample no.P125g15. 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.
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. -
Medieval Iron Anti-Cavalry Caltrop Group
Circa 13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Each hand-forged with square-section spikes, designed so that however the item falls, one spike is always vertical. 240 grams total, 9.6-10.7 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Luristan Bronze Sword
Late 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Later hilt with mushroom-shaped pommel, openwork grip with 'chain'-shaped pattern, crescentic guard, long sloping blade with rectangular-section mid-ridge. 1.05 kg, 55.2 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. 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. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
These bronze swords were characterised by a solid-cast hilt with penannular guard, a grip equipped with raised shaped figures and a conical, hollow-cast mushroom pommel. The blade had a very pronounced shaped central midrib. In the complete specimens the hilt was usually cast with the blade.