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LOT 1437
Romano-British Bronze Spearbutt or Staff Head
200-300 A.D.
2 1/8 in. (139 grams, 54 mm).
Comprising an onion-shaped terminal developing to a flared socket; incised circumferential line detailing.
ProvenanceFound whilst searching with a metal detector in Cumbria, South Lakeland, UK in 2023.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.LANCUM-DFEA18.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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AUCTIONS:
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Large Viking Period Iron Socketted Spearhead
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Leaf-shaped blade with circular tapering socket, short neck, pierced to accept a fixing pin; with remains of the wooden shaft in the socket. 538 grams, 37.9 cm
Acquired on the UK art market circa 2005. From an old North Country, UK, collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising: five triangular arrowheads with barbed shoulders and rounded midrib; four narrow arrowheads with barbed corners; one foliate arrowhead with rectangular shaft and short tang. 115 grams total, 50-90 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. 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.
Most arrowheads belong to the type V of the Khorasani classification: subtype C and A, arrowheads with triangular shape with barbed shoulders and convex sides, and a raised midrib with a sharp central line. These types of arrowheads were commonly used in Anatolia and Mesopotamia from the 2nd millennium B.C., but apparently their employment began earlier in this area, where types like these occur alongside the non-barbed, predominantly ribbed and tanged types. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Piriform body with domed mouth, circumferential bands on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 525 grams, 13.1 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
