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LOT 1181
Luristan Short Sword Blade
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
12 5/8 in. (285 grams total, 32 cm wide including stand).
Triangular with thick rectangular-section midrib, rounded shoulders, narrow tip, short tang with hole for fixing pin for the organic grip; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980s-1990s.
From the H.N. collection, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, UK.
Cf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, p.34, no.31.
FootnotesThis tanged bronze blade from Luristan belongs to a category of Luristan swords still in use in the Achaemenid Period, as proved by a blade with a perished handle (probably bone or wood) of the same type, in the National Museum of Iran (2694/15633). Examples without inscriptions like our model have been classified by Grotkamp-Schepers in the Solingen Museum as pieces from Luristan.
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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): £156
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, raised vertical flanges to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 500 grams, 12 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Dutch Thumb Ring Sword
Mid 16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
The blade composed of a straight, double edge with single fuller and clear running wolf marks; signed 'S AH A GOM' in both fullers with 'shooting star' below and with punched crown mark just below the hilt; twisted wire grip, thumb ring, leaf-shaped guard to hilt, bulbous pommel. 826 grams, 84 cm
Acquired from West Street Antiques, Dorking, Surrey, UK, 2015. The Kusmirek Collection, UK. Accompanied by copy of a previous listing and item ticket. -
Greek and Other Bronze Tanged Arrowhead Collection
Circa 12th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Comprising three tanged Luristan arrowheads, having elongated triangular blades and raised midrib, sharp central groove, cylindrical stem with handle for the shaft and barbed shoulders; eleven Greek paddle-shaped arrowheads with a flat and wide mid-rib, the blade shaped to a point; a small Persian or Greek foliate arrowhead with a long tang; a flat and foliate bronze arrowhead. 141 grams total, 49-85 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
In Greek warfare, archers were mainly employed by Scythians and Cretans. Both used composite bows made of wood, horn, bone and sinew. The Luristan examples seem to belong to the type V, subcategory C of triangular arrowheads according to the classification of Khorasani and Negahban.
