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LOT 1456
North Western Persian Bronze Blade
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
14 7/8 in. (311 grams, 37.7 cm).
With a long tapering blade, rounded shoulders, broad flattened mid-rib, and a tapering square-section tang.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureSee a similar blade in Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, p.34, no.31.
FootnotesEdged weapons with tangs are among the simplest forms of weapons from this culture. This basic type was hardly altered in the period when bronze was the most important material in weapon production. The retention of this basic type with so few alterations makes precise dating challenging. Bronze daggers, dirks and swords exist today only as bronze blades, having lost their perishable handles over the course of time.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Bronze Spearhead
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Foliate blade with a central rib and slender shoulders, short rectangular shaft and tang with a bent finial. 643 grams, 42.2 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
A number of similar blades, some considered to be spearheads and others to be daggers, all with a bent tang, derived from Tepe Hissar Culture III. Some of them, like our specimen, have a button terminal, and some others have a plain, pointed terminal. The general dating of these specimens is fixed to the early 2nd millennium B.C. -
Medieval Bronze Archer's Thumb Ring
14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
With a narrow triangular flange, a low-relief motif. 6.14 grams, 32.32 mm overall, 21.71 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Y, USA 12, Europe 27.51, Japan 26)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Ovoid body with impressed ring to the shoulder, domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 251 grams, 84 mm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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.
