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LOT 1024
Roman Marble Ballista Catapult Shot
1ST-3RD CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 in. (2.13 kg, 11.5 cm).
Suitable for use with an onager or other catapult-type siege weapon; with smooth, finished 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
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North-West Persian Bronze Spearhead
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Short triangular two-edged blade with thick midrib, long round-section neck with V-shaped recesses to the lower end, tapering square-section tang. 268 grams, 34.5 cm
Ex German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.
The spearhead belongs to a typology of spears widespread in the Marlik region, which Negahban divided into two categories. This spearhead belongs to type II, spearheads with triangular blades with rather short blade and shaft with a long tang, the total length of the blade being less than that of the shaft and tang together. -
Amlash Bronze Spear Blade
12th-11th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Leaf-shaped blade with pronounced midrib, square-section neck with flared ends and thick square-section tang. 299 grams, 26.7 cm
Ex German collection, Cologne, 1980-1990s.
The spearhead belongs to the type I of tripartite spears with broad mid-rib, reinforced shaft opening to reveal the tang and rounded shoulders. The blade with curved shoulders, a sharp point and a rectangular mid-rib. Stutzinger dated these pieces to 1200-1100 B.C.
