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LOT 1847
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
14TH-15TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/8 in. (505 grams, 15.7 cm).
Piriform in profile with a domed mouth and a stepped neck; 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.
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 1847
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
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Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscription
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised 'AΓΟΡΟΥ' legend (genitive for Agouros = immature, unripe). 32.7 grams, 31 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Sometimes the bullet carries a joke for the enemy. Here, the bullet bears the inscription ‘immature’, signifying that the enemy will receive not a nice fruit to eat, but an unripe fruit, a fruit he never wants to get. -
Roman Iron Anti-Cavalry Caltrop Group
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Comprising six caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. 338 grams total, 76-93 mm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
Caltrops were scattered on battlefields in an effort to stop or slow advancing enemy cavalry or foot soldiers; regardless of how a caltrop lands, one spike is always facing upwards. Caesar used them widely at Alesia (Caes., BG 7.73; 82): 'Stakes a foot long, with iron hooks attached to them, were entirely sunk in the ground before these, and were planted in every place at small intervals; these they called spurs'. -
Luristan Bronze Socketted Axehead
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With a long D-shaped blade with a scooped profile and a tubular socket offset at the base. 313 grams, 16 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
Many examples of bronze axeheads are attributed to the Luristan culture and various shapes have been discussed by different scholars. Moorey (1971, pp.39-41) shows similar axeheads, stating that the texts executed on some specimens have shown them made of arsenical bronze, and attributes them to the late 3rd millennium B.C. or 2nd millennium B.C., period in which this alloy was used abundantly.
