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LOT 1641
Roman Pompey the Great 'Battle of Munda' Lead Slingshot
1ST CENTURY B.C.
1 5/8 in. (40.7 grams, 41 mm).
Biconical lead slingshot (glans) with inscription in Latin letters 'CN' (Cneius) 'MAG' (Magnus) on one side, and 'IMP' for 'IMPERATOR' (victorious general) to the other side, i.e Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Imperator (Pompey the Great the victorious general). [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market.
Property of a gentleman collector.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Cf. D'Amato, R. and Sumner, G., Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier: From Marius to Commodus, 112 BC-AD 192, London, 2009, fig.32, p.45, for similar glandes from Zaragoza Museum, the one with the name of Pompey inscribed coming from Munda battlefield.
FootnotesThe shot (Völling type 1C) is marked with the abbreviated name of Gnaeus Pompey; it was used in quantity at the Battle of Monda (or Munda) against Julius Caesar, 17th March 45 BC. The projectiles were made of different materials: lead (glandes) or in pottery or stone (lapides missiles). Sometimes they were signed with the name of the general, like our specimen.
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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LOT 1641
Roman Pompey the Great 'Battle of Munda' Lead Slingshot
Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
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Western Asiatic Bronze Blade Group
25th-11th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Comprising two bronze spearheads with a short tang and flat midrib, a dagger pointed blade with short tang and two rivets in the shoulders which slope to a narrow tang. 207 grams total, 18-26 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The spearheads belongs to type 2 of spearhead according to the classification of Khorasani. A similar specimen was excavated by Negahban in Marlik. The dagger blade belongs to the type 5 of Maxwell-Hyslop classification, with pointed blade, straight sides and curved section. -
Medieval Bronze Archer's Thumb Ring
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Applied boss to the base of the hoop, triangular extension with foliate scrolls. 2.77 grams, 28.57 mm overall, 19.77 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
From an English collection formed before 2000. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Spearheads
14th-10th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
The leaf-shaped ovate blade with rounded, gently curved shoulders and raised midrib, flat rectangular-sectioned tang tapering to a bent end with a fastening button; in one specimen the tang is protruding from the 'blade sheath'. 507 grams total, 26-27.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Similar spearheads were excavated in the Marlik Royal cemetery by Dr Negahban, see for example in tomb 47, Trench XXIIE. They were the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with straight tang and square section, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. The foliate blade was wide and exaggerated in some specimens excavated at Marlik.
