Loading, please wait...
LOT 1048
Luristan Bronze Blade Collection
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 7/8 - 9 1/2 in. (485 grams total, 20-24 cm).
Comprising six bronze short tapering blades, all with rounded shoulders and flattened mid-ribs, four with tapering tangs, one with tang pierced at tip; one of the narrowest blades is without a tang. [6]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
See Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, p.34, no.31.
FootnotesMoorey, Gordon and Khorasani created a classification of bladed weapons, according to which daggers are edged weapons not greater than 36cm in length, dirks (short swords) are between 36cm and 50cm in length, and swords are edged weapons greater than 50cm in length. These weapons belong to the dagger category.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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.
-
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Of squat piriform shape with shallow vertical dashes decorating the upper body, stamped triangles above and below. 579 grams, 10.4 cm
Family collection, acquired 1980-2015. Ex property of a North London gentleman. 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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Luristan Bronze Short Sword Blade
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Triangular with thick rectangular-section midrib, rounded shoulders, narrow tip, short tang with inserted fixing pin for the organic grip. 472 grams, 42.2 cm
Ex German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.
This tanged bronze blade from Luristan belongs to a category of Luristan swords still in use in Achaemenid Period, as proved from a blade with a perished handle (probably bone or wood) of the same type, in the National Museum of Iran (2694/15633). Examples without inscriptions like our model have been classified by Grotkamp-Schepers in the Solingen Museum as pieces from Luristan. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
The group comprising various types of tanged arrowheads, including barbed and leaf-shaped examples. 175 grams total, 8.1-10.5 cm
Acquired 1990s. From the collection of a late Japanese weaponry collector.