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LOT 1534
Luristan Bronze Tanged Spearhead
14TH-10TH CENTURY B.C.
12 in. (275 grams, 30.4 cm).
Large leaf-shaped blade with a narrow midrib and a rectangular-section tang with bent finial.
ProvenanceEx Abelita collection, 1990s.
LiteratureSee Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, s.cat.270, for type.
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
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LOT 1534
Luristan Bronze Tanged Spearhead
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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Western Asiatic Bronze Axehead
Late 3rd-early 2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
With a short socketted shaft, the plain rectangular blade broadening towards the cutting edge; side holes on the shaft. 446 grams, 11.4 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
Unadorned weapons, especially axes, adzes, and picks, were made by Luristan craftsmen using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds, into which a core was inserted to form the socket for the shaft. Typically, the metallic composition consisted of a combination of arsenical bronze and copper, together with a small percentage of lead. -
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Piriform in profile with a stepped neck, incised decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 385 grams, 16 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'.
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. -
Iron Age Celtic Socketted Iron Spearhead
2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
With a slender heart-shaped blade, thick midrib, flared closed socket. 120 grams, 28 cm
From a 1980s collection. Ex North West London gallery. with TimeLine Auctions, 22-27 May 2018, no.1480. Private collection, Suffolk.