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LOT 0309
Roman Iron Spatha with Remains of Scabbard and Chape
4TH CENTURY A.D.
2 1/2 - 37 1/4 in. (1.02 kg total, 6.5-94.5 cm).
With a double-edged blade of Illerup-Wyhl Type, narrow parallel cutting edges tapering towards the point; remains of wooden scabbard on the blade and remains of wooden grip on the hilt; accompanied by a crescent-shaped iron chape. [2]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11924-209661.
Cf. Bishop, M. C. & Coulston, J.C.N., Roman military equipment, from the Punic wars to the fall of Rome, London, 1993; Miks, C., Studien zur Romischen Schwertbewaffnung in der Kaiserzeit, I-II Banden, Rahden, 2007; D’Amato, R., Roman army Units in the Western Provinces, Oxford, 2019; for a very similar specimen see Miks, 2007, no.A146, 67 (Eisbøl).
FootnotesThe iconographic sources indicate that Roman swords changed in the later 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. Longer swords, which were more popular within Germanic and Celtic cultures and more useful for fighting on horseback, were soon widespread among infantry units and mass-produced in the Roman workshops. They were brought home by foreigners after mercenary or auxiliary service in the Roman army. This, together the possibility of war booty, may explain why a great number of these swords have been found in the distant areas such as Nydam Mose, Eisbøl and Illerup Adal, all in modern Denmark.
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Roman Iron Military Plumbata Head
4th-5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Missile weapon with short iron shaft and square-section barbed head, lead sleeve to the lower end of the shaft. 116 grams, 19 cm
From the collection of B. Posey, UK, 1990s.
The lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae, (or breasted javelin) were short darts mounted upon a shaft, of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 meters by trained soldiers. They could also be fixed upon longer shafts. -
Byzantine Iron Horse Bit
14th-15th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £83
Composed of arched openwork shanks with looped terminals; one end fitted with large hoops and bar between; one end with a tripartite mouthpiece comprising two collared bars connected by a central hoop; Byzantine or early Ottoman. 340 grams, 19.5 cm
Fine condition.
Collection of Dr. Hanns-Ulrich Haedeke (1928-2017), author of ‘Schmuck Aus Drei Jahrtausenden’ and who became the director of the Museum of Klingenmuseum in Solingen, Germany, in 1968; the collection was formed in the early 1960s. From an important private Dutch collection.
This type of horse bit is visible on one of the most important equestrian artworks of the 15th century - the Cappella dei Magi by Benozzo Gozzoli, a painting representing the Three Kings visiting Christ, depicted in costumes belonging to the early quarter of the 15th century. All the cavalrymen in the artwork had heavy curb-bits (with short and curved shanks, as in our specimen) and heavy, single reins. -
Viking Age Socketted Iron Spearhead
9th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Type E with leaf-shaped blade with curved edges, socket tending towards a square internal cross-section and decorated with chiselled longitudinal grooves. 126 grams, 28.5 cm
Ex private collection of Mr M.B., Mainz, Germany, since the 1980s. Acquired from the above, 2004.
The spearheads of type E, of which this type is, belongs to the first group of Viking spearheads, i.e. the Frankish spearheads, which appeared between 750 and 950 A.D. These account for one third of the spears found in Viking sites; most of them are pattern forged with herringbone design.
