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LOT 1381
North West Persian Short Sword with Blood Channels
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
15 in. (288 grams, 38cm).
Broad leaf-shaped blade with rounded shoulders and short tang, grooved spine with curved ends extending to the shoulders. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1970s-2000s.
LiteratureCf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 36, p.33.
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:
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Very Large Tanged Bronze Spear
1900-1650 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Each side rising to a pointed ridge, curved tang for attaching to a shaft. 1.06 kg, 73 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The characteristic point is the hooked tang, the end of which was fitted with a button. The spear was inserted into a wooden barrel and then held in place with a series of leather laces (Gernez, 2007, p.312). -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Biconvex body with impressed bands to the shoulder, domed filler-hole, gesso and painted surface, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 575 grams, 15.5 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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Western Asiatic Copper Flat Axe
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Flat in section with rounded butt and flared blade. 152 grams, 17.2 cm
From an old English collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex gentleman; acquired on the UK art market.
