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LOT 1058
Viking Age Bronze Dagger Hilt with Scabbard
10TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
9 1/2 in. (119 grams, 24 cm).
The scabbard with bronze hoop reinforcements to the upper third decorated with bands of punched holes; lateral suspension flap between bronze plates with reserved interlace motifs on hatched field; hilt with Borre Style ring-chain motifs to the upper end; hollow to the upper face. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.6.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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LOT 1058
Viking Age Bronze Dagger Hilt with Scabbard
Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
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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. -
Post Medieval Iron Axehead with Maker's Marks
16th-17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Stamped to one cheek; triangular socket, hammer-shaped back. 2.1 kg, 23 cm
Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
Irregular pear-shaped ceramic vessel with domed filler-hole, impressed rings and vertical bars to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 980 grams, 15 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.
