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LOT 1053
Roman Marble Ballista Catapult Shot
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 in. (682 grams, 79 mm).
Suitable for use with an onager or other small catapult-type siege weapon; with roughened, abrasive surface. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1971-1972.
From the collection of the vendor's father.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
See Wilkins, A., Roman Imperial Artillery, Solway Print, 2017.
FootnotesThe operation of the onager (Latin for 'wild ass') is first mentioned in 353 A.D. by Ammianus Marcellinus in his Res Gestae and more fully in Vegetius's Epitoma Rei Militaris probably written in the reign of Emperor Theodosius I (378-395 A.D.).
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:
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Roman Marble Ballista Catapult Shot
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Suitable for use with an onager or other small catapult-type siege weapon; with roughened, abrasive surface. 682 grams, 79 mm
Acquired 1971-1972. From the collection of the vendor's father. Property of a London, UK, collector.
The operation of the onager (Latin for 'wild ass') is first mentioned in 353 A.D. by Ammianus Marcellinus in his Res Gestae and more fully in Vegetius's Epitoma Rei Militaris probably written in the reign of Emperor Theodosius I (378-395 A.D.). -
Post Medieval Iron Axehead with Maker's Marks
16th-17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Stamped to one cheek; triangular socket, hammer-shaped back. 2.1 kg, 23 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
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Luristan Bronze Butted Axe
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
The cylindrical shaft decorated with three bosses, blade with diverging edges, the upper sides of the hole and part of the blade decorated with a dotted pattern. 375 grams, 17.5 cm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The earliest Luristan bronze weapons, particularly daggers, axes, and adzes, share many similarities in form with Mesopotamian artefacts of the 3rd millennium BC. The unadorned weapons, especially the axes, adzes and picks, were made using simple clay or stone bivalve moulds with a core inserted into them to form the socket for the shaft.
