Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 1483

Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection

CIRCA LATE 2ND MILLENNIUM-6TH CENTURY B.C.

1 3/8 - 4 1/4 in. (367 grams total, 3.4-10.7 cm).

Including leaf-shaped, barbed and other types. [35]

Provenance

Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.

Literature

Cf. Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp.289ff, for similar; see also Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, nos.467, 471, 474, for type.

Footnotes

A number of arrowheads of this type have been excavated in Luristan and in the South-Caspian region. Many parallels are from a burial context, but a large hoard of them was found in a non-funerary context. This type of arrowhead has been in use from the late 2nd millennium B.C. Other arrowheads are clearly Achaemenid.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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.

LOT 1483

Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection

Sold for (Inc. bp): £234

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Byzantine Greek Fire Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
    Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
    9th-11th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £182

    Piriform body with domed filler-hole, the upper body with rows of circular indentations; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 478 grams, 10.5 cm



    From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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'.

    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.

    Lot Details

  • Byzantine Greek Fire Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
    Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
    9th-11th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £117

    Piriform-conical body with S-shaped ornaments to the shoulder, interstitial panels of impressed alternate foliage and S-shaped horizontal ornaments, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 650 grams, 12.5 cm



    From a military inspired collection formed from the 1990s. 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 piece was a type of a ceramic fire grenade, similar to the ones used by the Eastern Romans but of Turco-Mongol type. Apart from the use of manual flame-throwers, special corps of soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations, even in Far East, like in Burma.

    Lot Details

  • Western Asiatic Spiked Bronze Macehead Group
    Western Asiatic Spiked Bronze Macehead Group
    2nd-1st millennium B.C.

    Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £1,350

    Comprising: one with two unaligned rows, each with four horizontal spikes, topped by a tooth helping to secure the mace to a wooden shaft; the second with a long socket and a row of six spikes, three pointed and three rounded, double tipped edge for securing the shaft; the third with six horizontal spikes; all with solid heads and hollow tubular sockets; of North-West Iranian typology. 1.35 kg total, 10-15 cm



    Acquired from Artemis Gallery, Munich in 1995. European private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11997-211853.

    A variety of similar bronze mace heads have been recovered in Hasanlu and Marlik, mainly of spiked variety. Excavations at 8th-7th century B.C. War Kabud and Chamzhi-Mumah in Luristan have produced related types, with smaller spikes or knobs and with an elongated socket, like one of our examples. These spiked maces are a specifically Iranian type. In general, they were used from the 9th century B.C. although some scholars support the thesis of their use in the late 2nd-early 1st millennium based on finds from Marlik.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list