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LOT 1788
Luristan Bronze Socketted Axehead
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
6 1/4 in. (313 grams, 16 cm).
With a long D-shaped blade with a scooped profile and a tubular socket offset at the base.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureCf. Moorey, P.R.S., Catalogue of the ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1971, pl.1, items 4 and 5.
FootnotesMany examples of bronze axeheads are attributed to the Luristan culture and various shapes have been discussed by different scholars. Moorey (1971, pp.39-41) shows similar axeheads, stating that the texts executed on some specimens have shown them made of arsenical bronze, and attributes them to the late 3rd millennium B.C. or 2nd millennium B.C., period in which this alloy was used abundantly.
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Luristan Bronze Socketted Axehead
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Circular socket and a slender triangular-section blade with a curving cutting edge. 691 grams, 15 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
This is an example of socketted axes with plano-convex blade, variant H2Cd of Gernez classification. Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscription and Bee
3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Lentoid-section and depicting a bee to one side and the inscription 'ΚΑΛΑ' on the other. 30.4 grams, 31 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
The slingshots with an inscription ΚΑΛΑ are believed to originate from the island of Rhodes. On these sling bullets, ΚΑΛΑ should be translated as “nice things.” Together with the Balearic slingers, Rhodian slingers were considered to be the best of the Hellenistic world, and they were also used in the Roman army. -
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
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. 534 grams, 14 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s.
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.
