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LOT 0264
Luristan Bronze Sword
LATE 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
21 3/4 in. (1.05 kg, 55.2 cm).
Later hilt with mushroom-shaped pommel, openwork grip with 'chain'-shaped pattern, crescentic guard, long sloping blade with rectangular-section mid-ridge.
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.
Cf. Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran - The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, p.395, cat.35.
FootnotesThese bronze swords were characterised by a solid-cast hilt with penannular guard, a grip equipped with raised shaped figures and a conical, hollow-cast mushroom pommel. The blade had a very pronounced shaped central midrib. In the complete specimens the hilt was usually cast with the blade.
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AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Arrowhead Group
19th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Comprising paddle-shaped arrowheads with a flat, comparatively wide mid-rib; socketted types with thick midrib, leaf-shaped, and other types. 272 grams total, 4.2-11.3 cm
Acquired 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.
Some of the represented arrowheads (paddle-shaped) were typical of the Old Babylonian Empire. The shoulders were pronounced and the arrowhead had a rectangular-section tapering tang. This simple form was popular throughout and are comparatively common finds in the Holy Land. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Piriform in profile with band of impressed rosettes to the shoulder, mouth chipped and partly absent. 539 grams, 11.8 cm
From a specialist London, UK, arms and armour collection, 1990s. 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.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Toroid and drilled vertically to accommodate a wooden shaft. 453 grams, 74 mm
From the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
