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LOT 1471
Post-Medieval Iron Decorated Axehead
18TH CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
7 7/8 in. (482 grams, 20 cm).
With curved crescentic blade, round-section socket, a pair of square-section spikes to the rear; incised decoration on both sides. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection before 2000.
Acquired on the UK art market.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek Sling Shot with Inscription
4th-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Lentoid in form with raised legend 'AΓOPOY'. 35.8 grams, 30 mm
Private collection, Austria. Private collection, Europe. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Mesopotamian 'Chrysler Museum' Bronze Macehead with Incised Decoration
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Tubular in plan with low-relief braided panel and undulating lines; scooped profile at each end and securing collar; mounted on a custom-made stand. 647 grams total, 25.6 cm including stand
Ex Chrysler Museum of Art, Virginia, accession no.NP.68.62.M. with ArtAncient, 2010. Private collection, London, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Piriform body with impressed panels and roundels to the shoulder, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 415 grams, 10.7 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 1990s onwards. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent. 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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.
