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LOT 1501
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 in. (493 grams, 17.2 cm).
Piriform body with stepped neck, stamped leaf and linear decoration on 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.
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'.
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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LOT 1501
Turco-Mongol 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Estimate £80 - 100€93 - 116 (for guidance only)$108 - 135 (for guidance only)
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Late Roman Period Iron Narrow Axehead
Germany, 3rd-5th century A.D.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £20
Narrow axe with curved blade and oval socket with a flat extension to the rear. 616 grams, 15.5 cm
Ex M. Spiegelberg collection, since 1991; thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous yellow cataloguing slip. -
Greek Mauritanian Kingdom Lead Slingshot of King Mastanesosus
Circa 80-49 B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Bids: 13 | Current Bid: £125
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved monogram to obverse 'REX·SOS'; Neo-Punic monogram to reverse. 67.3 grams, 40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market, early 2000s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian.
This remarkable slingshot offers a rare insight into a little-known period in the history of the Kingdom of Mauretania in the first century B.C. The piece can be linked to King Mastanesosus, who is known to have shortened his name to “Sos.” He was the son of Bocchus I (c. 110–80s BC), the ruler who famously betrayed King Jugurtha of Numidia to Sulla and the Roman Republic. The inscription in Latin shows the growing influence of Rome at the time. It may even suggest that Roman slingers were part of Sosus’s army. During this period, Mauretania was already coming under Roman control and influence. Later, Bocchus II, the grandson of Sosus, supported the winning side in Rome’s civil war, and Mauretania became a client kingdom. This eventually led to its full absorption into the Roman Empire after the murder of King Ptolemy, son of Juba, by the emperor Caligula. The reverse of the slingshot shows a monogram in neo-Punic, similar to those found on coins from the same period. This is almost certainly a personal symbol or mark of Sosus himself. The use of both Latin and neo-Punic makes the piece bilingual, which is particularly interesting. -
Roman Lead Slingshot of Quintus Sertorius
Circa 82-72 B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £20
Lentoid in form with raised legend to reverse 'Q.SERT / PRO C'; casting seam and flange. 59.6 grams, 37 mm
Acquired on the UK art market, early 2000s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian.
The inscription may refer to Quintus Sertorius, the Roman statesman and general (123-72 BC). In late 82 BC, Sertorius, linked to the party of populares of Gaius Marius, was proscribed by Sulla and forced from his province in Hispania. However, he soon returned in early 80 BC, representing himself as a Roman proconsul resisting the Sullan regime at Rome. Being Proconsul in this Hispania from 82 to 73 B.C., the slingshots of his army were bearing the inscription 'Q.SERT / PRO C' (Quintus Sertorius Proconsul).
