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LOT 0281
Turkish Iron Sabre
15TH CENTURY A.D.
37 1/4 in. (1.35 kg total, 95 cm including stand).
Comprising a cross-shaped hand guard, the blade with a slight curvature widening towards the point; mounted on a custom-made wall mount.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Munich, Germany, 1970s.
Private collection, London, UK, 2014, acquired from the above.
Cf. similar sword in the Muzeum Topkapi Saray, nr.380, in Zablocki, W., Cięcia prawdziwą szablą, (Cuts with a real sabre), Warszawa, 1989, no.75, p.264.
FootnotesThe Turkish sabres from 15th century, had hilts similar to Omayyad and Abbasid's swords. The blades were long and heavy and were most probably used for swinging cuts, and were particularly convenient for point-thrusts when fighting on foot.
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Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Group
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Three tanged arrowheads with broadly leaf-shaped heads with shallow barbs, each with a raised midrib to both faces. 83 grams total, 13.5-14.5 cm
Ex private collection, 1980s. Acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Pear-shaped ceramic vessel with domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 594 grams, 12 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 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'.
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. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Roman Iron Dagger with Ring Pommel
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Featuring a distinctively shaped ring at the end of the grip, double-edged relatively short blade and a tapered tip. 376 grams, 58 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This kind of sword - called by modern scholars as ringknaufschwert or ring-pommel sword - was firstly diffused amongst the auxiliary troops, probably Sarmatians and Germans, and then, during the 2nd century A.D., was also commonly used amongst the milites legionis and the officers. The shape of their blades is similar to the Pompey typology, but a slightly less acute angle characterises the passage from the blade to the short point. There were longer specimens like spatha, opening the transformation of the legionary gladius in the longer spatha specimens of the successive period, and also shorter specimens. An important dating element for earlier specimens is the sword from the Matrica grave, in Pannonia, dated exactly to 147 A.D. based on the other grave goods. Specimens of the second half of 2nd century A.D. are known from Wehringen and Geneva (180 A.D.). A specimen from Bosnia could be chronologically assigned to the same period, although such kind of swords became much more widespread for infantry and cavalry in later times. However, the importance of such swords has been recently associated with the rank of the provincial officers who used them, including miniature variations of such swords used as pendants as insignia badge of the staff of the Provincial governors. It was connected with the image of the sword and the dagger as a symbol of the Imperial power.
