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LOT 1101
Luristan Bronze Short Sword
CIRCA 1000 B.C.
16 1/2 in. (421 grams, 42 cm).
The blade with a tapering profile, triangular in overall form, with slender shoulders, penannular guard with strong midrib, flanged hilt with crenellated grip, widening slightly into a fan-shaped pommel, cracked.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. similar sword in Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, cat.12, for a similar weapon.
FootnotesThese types of short sword or dirks were usually cast in one piece, and the penannular rib in relief was cast on at the same time with the handle of the blade. In some cases, however, the penannular rib was later cast on the dagger, possibly to strengthen a weak point at the junction of hilt and blade. The flanged hilt was originally inlaid with organic material such as bone.
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, marked by horizontal lines to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 355 grams, 10.3 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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 Dirk
10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
With triangular blade and flat mid-rib, flanged hilt for the insert of a wood or bone inlay, hilt with expanded guard and crescent-shaped pommel. 474 grams, 43.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
This type of dirk belongs to the type III of Medvedskaya classification and is very common among daggers and dirks attributed to Luristan. The same scholar suggests that the dating for the whole series of type III daggers is an inscription on a type III dirk with the name of Marduk Nadin Ahhe (1100-1083 B.C.). -
Medieval Iron Anti-Cavalry Caltrop Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Comprising eight anti-cavalry caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. 298 grams total, 77-95 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
