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LOT 1435
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
5 1/2 in. (464 grams, 14 cm).
Piriform in profile with domed mouth and stepped neck, raised vertical lugs on the body, linear decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade.
ProvenanceFrom an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards.
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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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1435
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
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Indian Gold Dagger Scabbard Suite
17th-18th century A.D.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Belonging to a dagger and its scabbard, comprising: a tubular pommel cap with filigree ropework, repoussé floral motifs; an elliptical-section scabbard throat with billetted border, reeded edges and floral motif; a triangular chape with reeded strip to the mouth. 27 grams total, 29-64 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s. -
Luristan Bronze Spearhead Group
13th-11th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Comprising a tanged spearhead with heavily ridged and tapered blade, short collared shaft and square-section tapered tang bent at the tip; a spearhead with foliate narrow blade, short tang with fastening hole. 300 grams total, 26.2-28.7 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.
Both types of spearheads were found in Amlash and Marlik, and are connected with the types 1 and 2 of the Khorasani classification. The type 1 is characterised by a bent tang and was the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with a straight square-section tang, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. -
Miniature Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Small and biconical in profile with narrow point; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 89 grams, 67 mm
From 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'.
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.
