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_900x900.jpg "Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade")
_200x200.jpg "Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade")
.jpg "Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade")
LOT 1492
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/8 in. (452 grams, 18 cm).
A hollow vessel with cylindrical body, short neck and domed mouth, impressed herringbone decoration to the body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards.
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'.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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.
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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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1492
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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Roman Pompey the Great 'Battle of Munda' Lead Slingshot
1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Biconical lead slingshot (glans) with inscription in Latin letters 'CN' (Cneius) 'MAG' (Magnus) on one side, and 'IMP' for 'IMPERATOR' (victorious general) to the other side, i.e Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Imperator (Pompey the Great the victorious general). 43.6 grams, 40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a gentleman collector. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The shot (Völling type 1C) is marked with the abbreviated name of Gnaeus Pompey; it was used in quantity at the Battle of Monda (or Munda) against Julius Caesar, 17th March 45 BC. The projectiles were made of different materials: lead (glandes) or in pottery or stone (lapides missiles). Sometimes they were signed with the name of the general, like our specimen. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Blade
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
The leaf-shaped ovate blade with rounded, gently curved shoulders and raised midrib, flat rectangular-sectioned tang tapering to a bent end with the remains of a fastening button. 348 grams, 34 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Similar spearheads were excavated in the Marlik Royal cemetery by Dr Negahban, see for example in tomb 47, Trench XXIIE. They were the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with straight square-section tang, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. The foliate blade was wide and exaggerated in some specimens excavated at Marlik. -
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Large Levantine Crescentic 'Anchor' Axehead
Middle Bronze Age, late 3rd-early 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
An anchor-shaped semi-circular blade, semi-elliptical in section, narrow socket with a long extension to the rear. 557 grams, 11.1 cm
Previously in a London, UK, collection, 1970s. Ex Rabi Gallery 1991. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The ‘anchor’ axes belonged to a homogeneous type of axe, similar to the fenestrated axes, but displaying a different hafting method. The handle was inserted into a short cylindrical collar except at the back, where it extended to a width roughly equivalent to that of the blade. The two ends of the blade widened to form a concave face resting against the handle, thus ensuring a firm support. The edges of the fenestrelles were prominent and sometimes have decoration. At the back of the collar, there was always a spherical or flattened knob. The function of this knob can only be conjectured: it seems too small to serve as a counterweight, hence it was probably an element used to wind the handle's attachment cord.
