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LOT 0308
Roman Iron Gladius Sword with Bird Triskeles
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
26 3/8 in. (870 grams total, 67 cm high including stand).
With fish-shaped blade of piled iron construction with square shoulder and flat-section tang; incised triskele motif to one face, each arm terminating in a bird's head with curved beak and lentoid eye; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 2000s.
From the private collection of John Lawton, Surrey, UK.
Cf. triskele motif on metalwork from Tal-y-llyn, Wales, in Savory, H.N., Guide catalogue of the Early Iron Age Collections, Cardiff, 1976, plate 12.
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Bactrian Bronze Claw Axehead-Mace
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Egg-shaped with spiked sleeves or prongs, the top of the weapon with a narrow edge, the sleeves with small internal tangs for mounting. 127 grams, 10.1 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The 'claw mace' was an enigmatic ancient bronze weapon from the Bronze Age Near East. The hollow bulbous head was trailed by tines of varying lengths. It is believed that it was affixed over a wooden shaft and used like a club in combat, and not necessarily used as ceremonial weapon. The knife edge bulb end could have broken bones and proven to be a formidable striking weapon requiring no skill to wield. The tines would have not only been decorative, but have served to add strength below the striking end to prevent breakage. In battle, maces were often used by commanders to display rank when giving orders in battle and leading soldiers, inspiring leadership and power. -
Khandjar Type Iron Dagger
19th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
Curved with a thick double edge blade, handle composed of wood and iron, ornately decorated with lozenges, fastened by eight iron flat-headed rivets. 118 grams, 32 cm long
Fine condition.
Private family collection formed in London, mid 1980s to early 1990s.
Among the various Arab dagger groups, the one from North Africa is characterised by rather fine blades made in the Turkish-Persian style. Usually the handles (in wood, ivory and metal) feature a large rounded pommel in the guise of peacock feathers. This type is common in Morocco, Tunisia and all the way to Egypt, and is a type of Khandjar usually called Koummiya or Goummiya (a term later adopted in Spanish as Goumia, to indicate all the short Arab daggers). -
'The Farnham Castle' English Medieval Socketted Macehead
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,600
With a long tubular socket and raised circumferential ribs, three tiers of radiating spikes; found with remains of wooden haft in situ. 312 grams, 80 mm
Found near Farnham Castle, Farnham, Surrey, UK. From the private collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Maces were in use since the Bronze Age. In the Medieval Western Europe, maces are attested in England as throwing weapons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the end of 12th century A.D., the mace head was made of metal and was, under the influence of Byzantium, one of the weapons of the armoured knight. Originally of round section and armed with strong pyramidal spikes, the mace head evolved into a cylindrical shape, sometimes reinforced with spikes, most often with flanges.
