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LOT 1468
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Bomb or Hand Grenade
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/2 in. (460 grams, 16.5 cm).
Piriform in profile with a domed mouth and a stepped neck, incised decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s.
LiteratureCf. 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 Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16.
FootnotesApart 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.
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Luristan Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Mainly barbed and tanged types. 280 grams total, 6.3-16 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
A piriform vessel with short neck, domed lip and conical base, bands to the shoulder with impressed annulets and other detailing; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 885 grams, 16.3 cm
Fine condition.
From the collection of a North London gentleman, latterly with a London gallery as a display collection exhibiting the wide range of decorative types; 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. -
Greek Lead Slingshot
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved legend 'ΣΟΜA' to one face, 'HPAKAEI' to reverse, with the possible meaning 'Body of Herakles'. 29.8 grams, 29 mm
Acquired on the German art market before 2000. Private collection, Munich, Germany.
The principal varieties of the inscriptions found on sling bullets are: 1) the name of a man, a place or a person; 2) the name of a deity, sometimes on its own and sometimes in connection with ‘victory’; 3) words conveying orders, jokes or sarcasms. Here the inscription connects the power of the bullet to the mythical god of strength.
