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LOT 1518
Large Luristan Bronze Spearhead
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
16 1/2 in. (464 grams, 42 cm).
Triangular in profile with rounded shoulders and square-section mid-rib running to the tip; short flared neck and square-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.
Cf. Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, p.628, no.275, for type.
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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Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising: five triangular arrowheads with barbed shoulders and rounded midrib; four narrow arrowheads with barbed corners; one foliate arrowhead with rectangular shaft and short tang. 115 grams total, 50-90 mm
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.
Most arrowheads belong to the type V of the Khorasani classification: subtype C and A, arrowheads with triangular shape with barbed shoulders and convex sides, and a raised midrib with a sharp central line. These types of arrowheads were commonly used in Anatolia and Mesopotamia from the 2nd millennium B.C., but apparently their employment began earlier in this area, where types like these occur alongside the non-barbed, predominantly ribbed and tanged types. -
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. -
Heavy Luristan Bronze Dolabra
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
A combined adze- and axe-head with central shaft hole and curved blades. 1.42 kg, 23.5 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.
