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LOT 0324
Scythian Bronze 'Kuban' Type Helmet
7TH-6TH CENTURY B.C.
9 1/4 in. (1.47 kg, 23.5 cm wide).
Raised from a single sheet with rounded skull and semi-circular cut-outs for the eyes with raised rims, raised bar to the front extending to the top with a loop; ten circular perforations to the lower edge; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection formed in Europe in the 1980s.
Westminster collection, central London, UK.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12616-235608.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Cernenko, E.V., The Scythians, 700-300 BC, London, 1983, p.11, pl.A1; Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003) in Russian, colour plate 15, fig.3; plate XLII, nos.figs.29-30, 33-34, for identical types.
FootnotesThis war helmet, typical of the Caucasian Scythians, belongs to the so-called Kuban type according to B. Z. Rabinovich, named after the north Caucasian region where the majority of this type of helmets were found. The helmet is almost identical to the helmet found in the 6th century barrow at Kelermes (Stanitsa Kelermeskaya), and in fact many of such helmets have been found in the Northern Caucasus. The helmets were typical of the noblemen fighting on horseback with spear, javelins and especially with bow and arrows.
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Ibero-Celtic Style Iron Falcata with Inlaid Decoration
19th century A.D. or earlierEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
A single-edged machaira sword of falcata typology, the hilt formed as a gracefully curving horse's head and neck, the blade with deep grooves, inlaid with geometric ornaments on the hilt and blade. 771 grams, 57.7 cm
Ex White Collection, England, 1970s. The Bonnhauser Collection, Zurich, 2003. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Since the 5th-4th century BC, the Iberian warriors armed themselves with round shields and single-edged swords (falcatas), gradually adopting the appearance of hoplite armies and the Etruscan version of the machaira. The latter type of sword was duly transformed into a completely new type, with a different size, shape and function, the falcata, which was already in use in the Iberian area by c. 490 BC. This falcata, a type of curved, one-edged sword of supposedly Greek origin, is generally accepted by the scholars as the 'national' weapon of the Iberians, usually suspended on the left side of the warrior, inside a sheath to which sometimes was attached a short knife. It was a terrible cut-and-thrust sword, with an average blade length of 45 cm. -
Greek Bronze Cuirass Section of Thorax Stadios
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Possibly the lower left side element of a cavalry armour of thorax stadios (muscled armour) typology, upper, lower and external side with well preserved edge, fastening holes visible. 250 grams, 22 cm
UK private collection, acquired in 1996. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Armour for cavalrymen in classical Greece were specially designed with these characteristics. They were very broad on the hips to enable their wearers to sit a horse. Important parallels are known from South Italy, one of them preserved in the Bari Museum. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Piriform in profile with narrow point and domed mouth; incised line decoration to the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 996 grams, 16 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.
