Loading, please wait...
LOT 0724
Roman Lead Sling Shot Projectile Collection
1ST CENTURY B.C.-2ND CENTURY A.D.
3/4 - 1 3/8 in. (384 grams total, 18-36 mm).
Comprising ten lentoid-section glandes, five with impressed stylised 'fulmen' (thunderbolt) of Jupiter. [13]
ProvenanceAcquired in Europe in 1990.
European private collection.
Cf. Marchant, D.J., Roman weaponry in the province of Britain from the second century to the fifth century AD, Durham, 1991, fig.26, for similar; Schinco, G., Small, A.M., 'A previously unknown siege of Botromagno/Silvium: the evidence of slingshots from Gravina in Puglia (Provincia di Bari, Puglia)' in Papers of the British School at Rome, 2019, pp.1-52, figs.36, 37.
FootnotesThe missiles of ovoid shape belong to type Ia of the Völling classification. The sling (funda) with its lead missiles (plumbea pondera or glandae) and stone (lapides) was used by special funditores, illustrated on Trajan’s Column where they are simply dressed in broad tunics with no armour, but carry a shield. A fold in their cloak, or sagulum, acted as an ammunition bag. The effectiveness of the slingers was unquestionable and much appreciated, especially against elephants. Celsus, writing towards the end of the 2nd century A.D., described how a slingshot wound was more dangerous and harder to treat than one inflicted by an arrow.
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.
-
Roman Bronze Crossbow Brooch
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
With onion-knop terminals, carinated bow with a median band of guilloche decoration; the footplate with ring-and-dot decoration to each end, central guilloche panel with chamfered sides; hinged pin and pierced catch-plate to reverse. 64 grams total, 90 mm
Property of a Gloucestershire, UK, collector. Property of an East Sussex, UK, gentleman.
The piercing runs through both the body and catchplate. Such alterations, for the attachment of a securing chain or thong, are not uncommon on heavy brooches, but the hole is usually restricted to the reverse (the catch). -
Roman Horse-Headed Plate Brooch Group
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Gammadion brooches each with horse-head finials and central ring-and-dot motif. 26 grams total, 37-40 mm
UK art market, acquired prior to 1980. Property of a Scottish collector, acquired in 2013. -
Roman Bronze Brooch Group
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Including equal-arm, bow brooch fragments, and a Romano-British lion bow brooch similar to the one found at Corbridge (lot 891). 21.1 grams total, 28-42 mm
Property of the vendor's grandfather, thence by family descent, circa 1985. From the private collection of a New York, USA gentleman.
