Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0327
Viking Iron Sword Pommel, Upper Guard and Lower Guard
LATER 11TH CENTURY A.D.
2 5/8 - 4 1/2 in. (522 grams total, 6.7-11.5 cm).
Comprising: lower guard, parallel-sided in plan with rounded ends and slightly curved in profile with recessed underside, slot to accept the tang; upper guard, lentoid in plan with scooped long edges and section of tang in situ; pommel with large median lobe and lateral shoulders, Petersen's Type Z. [3]
Provenance
London, UK, collection, formed in the late 1990s.
Literature
Cf. Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Woodbridge, 2002, p.19.
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.
LOT 0327
Viking Iron Sword Pommel, Upper Guard and Lower Guard
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
RELATED LOTS
-
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1000-700 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Comprising fifteen tanged arrowheads, four with elongated triangular blades and raised midrib, two of squared type with flat tang, three with barbed shoulders and short cylindrical stem with handle for the shaft; two with squared shoulders and rectangular stem with handle for the shaft, one with leafed elongated blade, one with wide triangular head and long handle for the shaft, and other two long and spiked with raised midrib. 240 grams total, 7.1-16.5 cm
London, UK, collection, 1990s.
Some of the arrowheads belong to type V of the Khorasani classification: subtype D (triangular arrowheads with rounded or angular midrib) and subtype C, arrowheads with elongated, triangular shape with barbed shoulders and convex sides, and a raised midrib with a sharp central line. -
Viking Iron Bearded Axehead
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
With a slender blade, chin to the lower edge with a spur to the rear, round socket with rectangular flanges; traces of the original wooden shaft inside the socket. 600 grams, 16.5 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Bulbous, undecorated body with dome filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 670 grams, 12.1 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
