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LOT 1083
Turco-Mongol Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
4 5/8 in. (409 grams, 11.7 cm).
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, raised horizontal flanges to the shoulders; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
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'.
Cf. Arendt, W. I., Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; cf. Arendt, W., Die Spharisch-konischen Gefasse aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16. For this specific shape see Nicolle, D., Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era, 1050-1350 AD,volume II, London, 1999, fig.800b.
FootnotesThis piece was a sort of ceramic fire grenade, similar to the ones used by the Eastern Romans but of Turco-Mongol type. Apart from the use of manual flame-throwers, special corps of soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations.
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Anglo-Saxon Iron Socketted Arrowhead
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Comprising a triangular leaf-shaped blade with tapering socket. 10 grams, 87 mm
Found Cambridgeshire, UK. -
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North Western Bronze Short Sword
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,885
Of fine quality, showing an open cast crescentic pommel with raised midrib and two parallel shallow lines across the top; pommel open on both sides to reveal the tip of the blade, tang rising from the grip; the solid cylindrical grip decorated with fourteen circumferential ribs, angular guard and triangular blade with strong midrib. 1.05 kg, 58 cm
Ex P.A., Hertfordshire, UK, specialist collection of Greek art, 1980-1990s.
The dirk has its hilt cast onto the blade. Moorey published a very similar piece with fourteen encircling ribs on the grip and attributed similar pieces to the North-West, also based upon examples of similar dirks from the Iranian and Russian Talesh region. He dated these pieces to the late 2nd millennium B.C. Similar examples were excavated at Marlik. Stutzinger attributed these types with a wider dating (13th-9th century A.D.) -
Roman Pattern-Welded Iron Spatha
Circa late 4th century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
A section of a double-edged long sword (spatha) of Illerup-Wyhl typology; half of the blade still intact with the tang created in later times by shortening a part of the blade; narrow parallel cutting edges tapering towards the point; both sides showing pattern-welding in form of ZS stripes and torsion technique B.II.1.2. 287 grams, 54.6 cm
Ex private collection of Mr M.B., Mainz, Germany, since the 1980s. Acquired from the above, 2004. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11976-210915.
Dr Miks refers to the spathae of the 'lllerup-Wyhl' type I as to a large group of blades which in terms of their proportions, dimensions and shape, are probably a mixture of blades of the more classical 'Straubing-Nydam' and 'Lauriacum-Hromowka' types of long Roman swords. They are one of the most complicated category of late Roman swords and therefore difficult to clearly identify. The chosen double designation (lllerup-Wyhl) takes into account the circumstance that the blades of this category could be identified in a lighter, narrower shape, with several representatives in the concentration ‘C’ of the moor finds from lllerup Ädal (Miks, 2007, A321), while heavy and broad specimens may be visible, like the well-preserved blade from body grave 22 of a late Roman influenced grave field in Wyhl (Miks, 2007, A798).
