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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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Anglo-Saxon Iron Socketted Spearhead
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Lentoid-section leaf-shaped blade with slender neck and long closed socket; Swanton's Group D1. 190 grams, 26 cm
Found near Wetwang, East Yorkshire, UK. Acquired circa 2005. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
A small number of leaf-shaped blades measuring between some 16 and 28 cm in length are similar to the smaller leaf-shaped pieces of the Swanton series C, except that they tend to be more slender overall. The socket is always narrowly split up its entire length. -
Viking Age Iron Stirrup with Laten Inlay
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Comprising an ovoid body with a rectangular void to accept a strap; the lower section broad with a rib to the underside, the upper flat in section with latten panel inlay to one face. 291 grams, 16 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. -
Luristan Bronze Arrowhead
Circa 13th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Including teardrop, barbed, leaf-shaped and other types, all tanged. 148 grams total, 52-91 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
