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LOT 1028
Medieval Bronze Socketted Macehead
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 in. (286 grams, 67 mm).
Comprising four large pyramidal projections, four smaller above and below, ropework detailing; circular shaft hole. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in Munich in the 1970s.
From an old German collection.
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AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Single-edged, curved with scooped shoulder and flat tang. 78 grams, 31 cm
Ex German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.
In the middle of the 2nd millennium B.C., combat knives were widely used in Palestine and Syria. Some of them reproduced in local forms and constructions of the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C., others had a concave blade with a humpbacked back or S-shaped blades which, apparently, should be associated with influences from Asia Minor influence. -
Viking Age Bronze Jellinge Sword Scabbard Chape
10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Plate with lip to the outer curved edges, knop to the centre of the bow and spurs to the angles; low-relief design of interlaced foliage within a braided band; lateral mounting holes, three studs to the reverse. 14.7 grams, 52 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Pear-shaped ceramic vessel with domed filler-hole, circumferential impressed bands to the shoulder and equator; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 490 grams, 15 cm
Ex London, UK, 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'.
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.
