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LOT 1412
Viking Age and Later Axehead Group
CIRCA 10TH-18TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/4 - 9 1/2 in. (7 kg total, 16-24.5 cm).
Comprising socketted axeheads of various types; some possibly stamped with maker's marks. [10, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Cf. Roesdahl, E., Wilson, D.M., From Viking to Crusader: The Scandinavians and Europe 800 to 1200 (22nd Council of Europe Exhibition), Copenhagen, 1992, p.321, fig.359 (4), for a similar Viking axe/tool.
FootnotesAn axe similar to those of our group was found in the fortified camp of Péran, in Brittany, among the objects that emerged from a conflagration due to the attack of Alain Barbetorte's Bretons on a Viking camp, in 936 A.D. These axes were certainly work tools, although in case of necessity they could also serve as improvised weapons
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Western Asiatic Bronze Blade
Circa 1000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Tapering with rounded shoulders and flattened mid-ribs, tapered square sectioned tang pierced at the tip. 170 grams, 26.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
Moorey, Gordon and Khorasani created a classification of bladed weapons, according to which daggers are edged weapons no greater than 36cm in length, dirks (short swords) are between 36cm and 50cm in length, and swords are edged weapons greater than 50cm in length. -
Luristan Bronze Dagger Blade
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Lentoid in section, triangular in plan with rounded tip, short tang, two holes to the shoulder for attachment. 102 grams, 22 cm
UK private collection before 2000. Acquired on the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Piriform in profile with domed neck, impressed roundels to the foot. 755 grams, 15.5 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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.
