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LOT 0321
Late Roman Iron-Shafted Lead Plumbata
CIRCA 3RD-7TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/8 in. (67.4 grams, 13 cm).
Comprising a barrel-shaped lead body with a round-section shaft with a barbed finial.
ProvenanceEx German art market, 2000s.
Acquired from an EU collector living in London.
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Cf. Southern, P. & Dixon, K.R., The Late Roman Army, London, 1996, fig.46, pp.113-115.
FootnotesLead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae (or 'breasted javelin') were short darts mounted upon a shaft of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 metres by trained soldiers.
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LOT 0321
Late Roman Iron-Shafted Lead Plumbata
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
Late 3rd-early 2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £111
With a short socketted shaft, the plain rectangular blade broadening towards the cutting edge; side holes on the shaft. 446 grams, 11.4 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes, and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which a core was inserted to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead. -
Luristan Bronze Socketted Adze-Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Short tubular socket with thickened rim, perpendicular short blade with convex cutting edge to the rear, and a larger triangular-section blade with curving blade to the front. 675 grams, 16.5 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The earliest axes-adzes from the 3rd millennium B.C. were weapons and tools furnished with socket holes. Usually, the socket is a more secure way of attaching the object to a wooden haft than having a simple tang. These weapons developed into a plethora of forms in the 2nd millennium B.C., and the numerous new forms were used until at least 800 B.C. -
Villanovan Bronze Spear Butt End
Iron Age, circa 8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
A conical hollow-form tube with ribbed neck, pierced through the sides for attachment. 71 grams, 11.2 cm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
