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LOT 1512
Viking Age Danish Iron Broad Axehead
LATE 10TH-EARLY 11TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/8 in. (245 grams, 13.6 cm).
With rectangular spurs above and below the curved socket, medium-broad flaring triangular-section blade extending to a curved edge, hammer extension to the rear. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePrivate collection, York, UK, 1990s.
Property of a Sussex, UK, teacher.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Williams, G., Pentz, P. & Wemhoff, M., Vikings Life and Legend, London, 2014, item 25, p.90, a similar axe from a male burial in Hellvi (Gotland, grave 222B).
FootnotesThe first specialised battle-axes which appeared in the second half of the 10th century A.D. were light, narrow, usually thinly forged but with broad-edged blades, sometimes decorated with precious metals.
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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Luristan Bronze Blade Group
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Tanged spearheads with foliate blades, one with accentuated midrib and bent tang, another with squared shoulders and bent tang, the third with slender blade and narrow tang with fastening hole. 342 grams total, 18.7-27 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Spearheads with large foliate blades and bent tangs were excavated in the Marlik Royal cemetery by Dr Negahban, see for example in tomb 47, Trench XXIIE. They were the evolution of a typology which began much earlier in Mesopotamia and the fertile crescent, the type 4 of the Stronach classification, with straight tang and square section, usually thickened at the base with a button tang. The foliate blade was wide and exaggerated in some specimens excavated at Marlik. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Bulbous body with pointed tip and short neck, a band of ring-and-dot motifs to the upper body; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 467 grams, 10.9 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. -
Teutonic Order Iron War Axe with Maker's Mark
13th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Mazovian or Teutonic Order, hand-forged with rectangular-section socket and expanding bearded blade; a maker's mark to one side of the blade and an openwork three-lobed flower tapering towards the blade; four notches on the upper part of the socket; professionally cleaned, conserved and restored. 805 grams, 17.8 cm
Very fine condition, professionally cleaned, conserved and restored.
Ex property of a London businessman, from his grandfather's collection formed after World War II; thence by descent 1972. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This typology of axes (type Ig of the Glosek classification) was in use throughout Europe in the 13th-14th centuries. This axe is similar to one excavated during an archaeological survey of the castle at Czersk, dated to the 13th-14th century A.D. Close parallels have also been found in Elbląg, a famous commandery of the Teutonic Order from 1237 to 1454 A.D. The stronghold served as a seat of the Masters of the Teutonic Order.
