Loading, please wait...
LOT 1474
Luristan Bronze Sword Blade with Corrugation
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
13 3/4 in. (296 grams, 35 cm).
A two-edged blade, leaf-shaped with short rectangular tang, corrugated midrib extending almost to the tip and flared at the shoulder. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProperty of an East Sussex, UK, teacher; formerly with a London gallery; previously acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, s.cat 31, for type.
FootnotesThe metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in Luristan were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased, others engraved. The ruling elites of warrior horsemen were buried in the graves with their weapons and horses which are the main sources of the Luristan bronze weapons.
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.
-
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
A group of eighteen tanged mainly triangular and leaf-shaped arrowheads. 246 grams total, 6.1-11.8 cm
From the London art market, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Piriform in profile with domed mouth, vertical raised lugs dividing the body into four fields, two fields with herringbone pattern and the other two with stamped decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 517 grams, 14.3 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. -
Large Luristan Bronze Spearhead
1200-1100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With ovate blade, central rib and curved shoulders, the lozenge-section long shaft tapering towards the end, rectangular tang with bent tip. 432 grams, 42.5 cm
Acquired 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.
The spearhead represents a slender variant of type 1 of Khorasani classification. The type 1 was characterised by the bent tang. It was the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with straight tang and square section, usually thickened at the base with a button tang.
