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LOT 1430
Luristan Bronze Dagger Group
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 7/8 - 11 3/8 in. (264 grams total, 20-29 cm).
Comprising three dagger blades, one triangular with three fastening rivets on the ricasso, one with long tapered blade, rounded shoulders and long narrow tang, the third with a slender blade. [3]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. for similar blades Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, item 31, p.34.
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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Bronze Dagger
13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Double-edged triangular blade, integral hilt with lateral flanges with remains of bone handle. 196 grams, 31 cm
From the estate of a deceased gentleman, Surrey, UK, 1980s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The dirk belongs to the type III in the Medvedskaya classification, used in Near East from the 13th to the 6th century B.C. The type is the 32a of the Maxwell-Hyslop study. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Piriform in profile with narrow point and domed mouth; the body with vertical bands of concentric circles separated by annulets in groups of three. 473 grams, 11.3 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. -
Greek Bronze Cuirass Section of Thorax Stadios
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Possibly the lower left side element of a cavalry armour of thorax stadios (muscled armour) typology, upper, lower and external side with well preserved edge, fastening holes visible. 250 grams, 22 cm
UK private collection, acquired in 1996. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Armour for cavalrymen in classical Greece were specially designed with these characteristics. They were very broad on the hips to enable their wearers to sit a horse. Important parallels are known from South Italy, one of them preserved in the Bari Museum.