Loading, please wait...
LOT 1470
Old Babylonian Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1800-1500 B.C.
2 1/8 - 3 in. (171 grams total, 53-78 mm).
Comprising paddle-shaped arrowheads with a flat, comparatively wide mid-rib. [20, No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection before 2000.
Acquired on the UK art market.
Property of a London gentleman.
Cf. for similar arrow-points Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, (plate XLIII, nos.26-27, 92-93).
FootnotesThese kind of arrowheads were typical of the Old Babylonian Empire. The shoulders were pronounced and the arrowhead had a rectangular-section tapering tang. This simple form was popular throughout and show comparative common finds in the Bible Lands.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Medieval Iron Bearded Axehead
Circa 15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With broad curved blade and square chin, narrow neck, deep socket with square-section hammer to the reverse. 1.27 kg, 17.7 cm
Private collection, UK, formed 1980s-1990s. -
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A hollow vessel with cylindrical body, carinated shoulder, short neck and domed mouth, bands of impressed herringbone patterns to the shoulder and waist, piriform lower body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick. 408 grams, 15.7 cm
From the collection of a North London, UK, gentleman, 1990s.
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. -
Luristan Bronze Tanged Arrowhead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
With broad heater-shaped head and barbs to the rear, square shoulder and narrow tang. 41.6 grams, 13.5 cm
Property of the vendor's grandfather, thence by family descent, circa 1985. From the private collection of a New York, USA gentleman.
The arrowhead resembles a stylised bird's head, according to classification by Khorasani. This was a type of decorative arrowheads, belonging to the typology of barbed arrowheads.