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LOT 1514
Romano-British 'Verulanium' Lead Slingshot
2ND CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (59 grams, 37 mm).
Biconical in profile with reserved 'thunderbolt' motif to two faces; old inked collector's reference '130'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound near St Albans (Verulamium), UK.
From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Greep, S.J., ‘Lead Sling-Shot from Windridge Farm, St Albans and the Use of the Sling by the Roman Army in Britain’ in Britannia, vol.18. 1987, pp.183-200, fig.2, type 1, fig.7.
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.
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Tudor Hand Cannon Bronze Shot
16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Spherical shot from a large hand gun or a small cannon. 90.6 grams, 27 mm
Acquired on the UK art market in the early 2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Luristan Bronze Sword Blade with Corrugation
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
A two-edged blade, leaf-shaped with short rectangular tang, corrugated midrib extending almost to the tip and flared at the shoulder. 296 grams, 35 cm
Fine condition.
Property of an East Sussex, UK, teacher; formerly with a London gallery; previously acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in Luristan were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased, others engraved. The ruling elites of warrior horsemen were buried in the graves with their weapons and horses which are the main sources of the Luristan bronze weapons. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Comprising: four large tanged arrowheads, mainly of triangular type with mid-rib; six triangular, leaf-shaped, barbed, and paddle-shaped arrowheads with a flat, comparatively wide mid-rib; one small triangular arrowhead with rounded shoulders; two arrowheads with wings, resembling a stylised flying bird; one foliate with herringbone decoration on the midrib; a triangular type with flat mid-rib and raised corners; two small paddle-shaped arrowheads with flat mid-rib; an Achaemenid trilobate socketted arrowhead. 253 grams total, 3.7-15 cm
From the London art market, 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The most interesting specimen is the foliate blade with herringbone decoration on the mid-rib. Two examples with similar decoration are published by Muscarella, that according to the publications of Ghirsman are typical of North-West Iranian Plateau.
