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LOT 0268
Saxon Sacrificed Iron Spatha with Bronze Chape
5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
30 3/4 in. (630 grams total, 78 cm long).
Double-edged long sword (spatha) of type Osterburken-Kemathen; the blade with squared shoulders, broken into two parts for sacrificial reasons, tapering towards the point; sturdy tang partially preserved; wooden traces of the scabbard and hilt still visible; accompanied by a bronze outer rim of a scabbard; restored. [3]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Herzog, R. & Koller, A., Die Alamannen, Stuttgart, 1997, items 162,166 (spathae von GroB-Karben und Wiesbaden), for type; for the chape see Strassmeir, A., Das Fränkische Heer der Merowingerzeit, Teil 2 : Schild und Schwert, Berlin, 2019, p.46 lett.A.
FootnotesThe deliberate fragmentation of a sword, often into three pieces, was a symbolic act of ‘killing’ the weapon, which was then placed as a grave good or offered in a ceremonial context. This was a Germanic custom already visible in the Vandal Przeworsk culture around the 3rd or 4th century A.D., which continued in Northern European areas until the 5th and the 6th centuries A.D.
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LOT 0268
Saxon Sacrificed Iron Spatha with Bronze Chape
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
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US Confederate Bayonet with Scabbard
19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Comprising a tubular socket for fixing to a muzzle of a weapon, long tapering triangular blade with a raised rib on the underside and a 'US / JB(?)' stamp at the base; with a later(?) civil war type scabbard. 500 grams total, 64.5 cm
From the private collection of author and historian Dr DeWitt Bailey, one of the global authorities on the confederate army in the US civil war; thence by descent to his grandson. -
Elamite Decorated Bronze Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
With a slender, scooped blade, a round socket with a ribbed outer flange, and three lobed extensions to the rear of the socket with low-relief decorative bands. 360 grams, 10.4 cm
French collection, 1980s. Acquired on the London art market. Private collection, London, UK. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Ovoid in profile with scrolled linear decoration and impressed pellets; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 400 grams, 10.7 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'.
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.
