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LOT 1360
'The Customs House' Tudor Inscribed Iron Hammer-Head
16TH CENTURY A.D.
9 1/2 in. (2.82 kg, 24.2 cm).
Octagonal in section with one tapering end and one flat, circular end; square punch marks to one face in a pattern: '10B'. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Thames foreshore, Customs House, London, UK, on Thursday 9th November 2006.
Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.LON-D6B085.
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AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Bronze Javelin Head
Late 3rd millennium B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Featuring a tripartite weapon with short, narrow leafy blade, elongated stem decorated by embossed geometric lines and folded tang. 220 grams, 32.3 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The points within this typology are biconvex or leaf-shaped, not very sharp. These types of spears have been found in the tombs of Palestine from Tell el-'Ajjul (tomb 227) to the sites of the central plains and the banks of Jordan: Yavne, 'Ain Samiya, Jebel Qa'aqir, tombs G 83 and M 13 of Jericho, tombs 2100 and 2111 of Lachish. All are dated to the last two centuries of the 3rd millennium. -
Luristan Horse Bit with Animals
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a pair of gryphon-shaped cheek-pieces with a hole through the body for the straight mouthpiece with looped terminals. 475 grams, 18.5 cm
UK private collection before 2000. UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With domed filler-hole, broad shoulder, alternating bands of crescent impressed detailing; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 242 grams, 10.1 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. 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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
