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LOT 1361
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14TH CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 in. (610 grams, 17.2 cm).
Piriform body with thick ribs to the shoulder and impressed knotwork panels between, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the H.N. collection, Milton Keynes, Berkshire, UK, 1990s.
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.
FootnotesThe shape corresponds with a fire grenade in the Kars Museum, no.14.09.2009. 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.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1361
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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Luristan Bronze Socketted Spearhead
13th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With broad leaf-shaped blade and tapering tubular socket. 155 grams, 24 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The spear belongs to the type VIII classified by Khorasani (spearheads with well-projecting midribs and long folded sockets) and more specifically to subtype C (with leaf-shaped blade and short hollow socket). Usually the willow-leaf blade has an almost straight shoulder base and a wide, flat midrib tapering towards the point. -
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From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. -
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18th-19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
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Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
