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LOT 1503
Luristan Bronze Axehead
12TH-11TH CENTURY B.C.
8 5/8 in. (390 grams, 22 cm).
A spike-butted axehead with a short cylindrical socket with four furrowed ribs leading to four short spikes, blade with curved upper and lower edges and a convex cutting edge.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureCf. Moorey, P.R.S., Catalogue of the ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1971, pl.2, nos.14-16, items 51-52; cf. also Musee' Cernuschi, Bronzes de Luristan, enigmes de l'Iran Ancien, IIIe-Ier millenaire av. J.C., Paris, 2008, p.44, fig.1,3; p.97, no.45, for similar types.
FootnotesIt is difficult to know whether this type of axe, given its high decoration in some specimens, was used as a weapon or was a symbol of rank and prestige, employed for ceremonial or cult purposes. However, considering that the concept of parade weapons did not exist in the surrounding areas in antiquity, these axes were most probably used for both military and ceremonial purposes.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1503
Luristan Bronze Axehead
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£111 (EUR 129; USD 150) +BP*
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Western Asiatic Bronze Spearhead
9th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £56
Comprising a leaf-shaped blade with a midrib and a long tapering socket; accompanied by a display stand, repaired. 365 grams total, spearhead: 36.5 cm (38.2 cm including stand)
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The spear, belonging to type 3 of the Khorasani classification, was used by chariot fighters to strike each other or the enemy infantry from above. Similar specimens with longer sockets were excavated by Negahban in the Amlash area. According to Moorey, sockets as long, if not longer than the blade, are a characteristic of Iranian spearheads in the late 2nd and early 1st millennium B.C. A similar spearhead from the Tappeh Sialk has been dated to the 9th-7th century B.C. -
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Piriform in profile with a stepped neck, incised decoration and three raised lugs; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 424 grams, 17 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'.
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. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
14th-10th century B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Triangular blade with raised midrib and a rectangular-section tang. 130 grams, 31 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1990s.
