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LOT 1358
Viking Age Iron T-Shaped Axehead
10TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
6 3/4 in. (588 grams, 17 cm).
Narrow T-shaped blade with curved edge, large D-shaped socket with lateral triangular flanges and rectangular extension to the rear.
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
LiteratureCf. Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, pl.CX, items 41,43, for the type; see also Hjardar, K. & Vike, V., Vikings at war, Oxford-Philadelphia, 2016, p.163, for the typology of eastern axes.
FootnotesSlavic battle-axes also came into use in Scandinavia, especially in the Eastern part of Gotland, Denmark and Sweden. One of the types was a T-shaped axe with a broad blade. There were narrow-bladed types too, 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.
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LOT 1358
Viking Age Iron T-Shaped Axehead
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Anglo-Zulu War Battle of Khambula Artefact Collection
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Comprising: a Martini-Henry brass cartridge case with firing mark to the base; three lead heads of bullets fired from the Martini-Henry rifle; mounted in a display frame; supplied with brass nameplate 'Anglo-Zulu War / Khambula / March 29th 1879'. 332 grams total, 30-37 mm (13 x 13.5 cm including case)
Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK, formed since 1985. Accompanied by a handwritten provenance note. -
Medieval Socketted Iron Crossbow Bolt Head with Heraldic Shield Maker's Mark
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Piriform body with band of impressed rosettes to the equator, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 547 grams, 12.1 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.
