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LOT 1493
Late Roman Iron Axehead
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
2 7/8 in. (97 grams, 73 mm).
Small type with broad curved cutting edge, round socket in a triangular frame; narrow neck. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Ovoid in profile with a rounded base, a band of ring-and-dot motifs on the shoulder and radiating indentations on the base; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 783 grams, 14.7 cm
From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s. 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. -
North-West Persian Bronze Blade
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Long blade with a pronounced mid-rib, openwork tubular hilt, crescentic guard. 310 grams, 37.2 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
In these daggers, the hilts were cast in the lost wax process, while the blades were cast in a mould. The openwork was cast in the original wax, and after casting was inlaid with a cream-coloured stone, which survives in some examples. -
Turkish Iron Dagger with Brass Hilt and Scabbard
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Acquired on the UK art market in the early 2000s.
