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LOT 1487
Large Viking Period Iron Socketted Spearhead
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
15 in. (538 grams, 37.9 cm).
Leaf-shaped blade with circular tapering socket, short neck, pierced to accept a fixing pin; with remains of the wooden shaft in the socket. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market circa 2005.
From an old North Country, UK, collection.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Bronze Spearhead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With leaf-shaped blade, central rib and rounded shoulders, the lozenge-section shaft flared and the square-section tang with pointed tip. 357 grams, 39 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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Piriform body with a domed mouth, a circumferential hatched band on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 594 grams, 12.5 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.
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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Ovoid body with domed mouth, the upper body with radiating lines of impressed dots; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 240 grams, 95 mm
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.
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.
