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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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Iron Age Celtic Socketted Iron Spearhead
2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £50
With a slender heart-shaped blade, thick midrib, flared closed socket. 120 grams, 28 cm
From a 1980s collection. Ex North West London gallery. with TimeLine Auctions, 22-27 May 2018, no.1480. Private collection, Suffolk. -
Greek and Other Bronze Arrowhead Group
4th century B.C. and laterEstimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £10
Comprising three arrowheads, one socketted with a lateral spur, one barbed and tanged, and the third a flat-section barbed and tanged type. 20 grams total, 39-67 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Ovoid body with pointed base and domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 510 grams, 11.9 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.
