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]

Provenance

From a specialist collection, London, UK, 1990-2000s.

Literature

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 Gefäße aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid; cf. Ayalon, D., Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16.

Footnotes

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.

CONDITION

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LOT 1468