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LOT 1447
Luristan Bronze Spearhead with 'Twisted' Socket
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
13 in. (282 grams, 33 cm).
With narrow blade and strong stepped central rib, curved shoulders, the round-section shaft with barleytwist detailing, rectangular tang with bent tip and button finial.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1990s.
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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Piriform body with domed mouth, deep circumferential bands to the upper body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 544 grams, 14 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. -
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With plain globular body, circular short shaft expanding to a circular flat base. 370 grams, 75 mm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990-2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Viking Age Bearded Axehead
9th-10th century ADSold for (Inc. bp): £351
A hand-forged side-axehead with square-section socket, broad blade offset with extension to the lower edge. 838 grams, 17 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The axe belongs to the type C of Petersen classification. They are axes of Eastern type, of narrow bearded type, characterised by an almost completely round hole for the shaft, rather than the more triangular or drop shape we see on the western typologies.