Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1464
Viking Age and Later Iron Axehead Group
10TH-18TH CENTURY A.D.
4 3/4 - 11 3/4 in. (8.45 kg total, 12-30 cm).
Mainly comprising socketted axeheads and adzes, adze-axes, wedges and other items. [10, No Reserve]
Provenance
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.
Literature
Cf. Hjardar, K. & Vike, V., Vikings at war, Oxford-Philadelphia, 2016, p.163, for the typology of eastern axes similar to the Viking bearded specimen in our group.
Footnotes
Slavic battle-axes also came into use in Scandinavia, especially in the Eastern part of Gotland, Denmark and Sweden. There were narrow-bladed types, described as being very light. Another characteristic of some of the Eastern axes was an extra long hammer or more rarely a secondary blade protruding from the back of axehead.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Medieval Iron Axehead
15th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
With square butt, scooped underside and a flared blade. 1.04 kg, 16 cm
Acquired on the UK market before 1992. Ex property of a North London gentleman. -
Arab 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
13th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
Piriform body decorated with concentric circles inside a horizontal band, raised ornamental neck, with domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 430 grams, 12 cm
From a military inspired collection formed from the 1990s.
The Arabs made good use of these weapons. Their efficiency was described in the account of the siege of Akka in 1189, given by the contemporary historian Ibn al-Athir. He tells how the Christians exercised their engineering skills and built mighty siege towers. The situation was hopeless for the defending Arabs until a man from Damascus showed up, because he knew how to produce Greek Fire: ‘To trick the Christians he first threw some vessels with naphtha and other things, which were not set on fire, upon one of the siege towers, and it was without power. The Christians...climbed the top of the siege tower...the man from Damascus waited until the contents of the vessels were spread all over. When the moment came, he threw a new pot, which was set on fire. In a few moments the fire was spread all over, and the siege tower was eaten up by the flames. The fire was spread in such a hurry that the Christians could not manage to climb down from the siege tower. Men, weapons, everything was eaten up by the flames.’ -
Roman Military Bronze Cavalry Spur
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Crescentic in plan with carinated profile, discoid lug to each end, sturdy square-section ferrous stud to the centre. 45 grams, 64 mm
Private collection, UK, formed 1980s-1990s.