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LOT 1398
North West Persian Short Sword with Blood Channels
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
18 in. (19 1/4 in.) (1.18 kg total, 45.5 cm (49 cm including stand)).
With short tang for an organic hilt, the blade showing multiple grooves forming a pronounced mid-rib spanning roughly more than three-quarters of the blade; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceEx P.A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s.
LiteratureCf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 36, p.33.
FootnotesLuristan was hardly an ethnic or political entity, but the people of Luri had relations through warfare and traded with Sumerians, Lullubi, Assyrians, Babylonians and Elamites over a long period of time, spanning from the 3rd to the 2nd millennium B.C. The ruling elites of warrior horsemen were buried with their weapons and horses.
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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LOT 1398
North West Persian Short Sword with Blood Channels
Estimate £250 - 350€290 - 410 (for guidance only)$340 - 470 (for guidance only)
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Luristan Horse Bit with Animals
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a pair of gryphon-shaped cheek-pieces with a hole through the body for the straight mouthpiece with looped terminals. 475 grams, 18.5 cm
UK private collection before 2000. UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
10th-13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Compressed spherical body, the upper part with impressed decoration consisting of two rows of Saint Andreas crossed inside a shield, with domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 382 grams, 10.2 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.
