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_900x900.jpg "Viking Iron Sword Pommel, Upper Guard and Lower Guard")
_200x200.jpg "Viking Iron Sword Pommel, Upper Guard and Lower Guard")
.jpg "Viking Iron Sword Pommel, Upper Guard and Lower Guard")
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]
ProvenanceLondon, UK, collection, formed in the late 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Woodbridge, 2002, p.19.
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 0327
Viking Iron Sword Pommel, Upper Guard and Lower Guard
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
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Late Roman Iron-Shafted Lead Plumbata
Circa 3rd-7th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Comprising a barrel-shaped lead body with a round-section shaft with a barbed finial. 67.4 grams, 13 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae (or 'breasted javelin') were short darts mounted upon a shaft of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 metres by trained soldiers. -
Luristan Bronze Macehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With a globular body and tubular socket with two raised collars above and a flaring base; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 329 grams total, mace: 83 mm
From the collection of the late Sir Clinton Charles Donald Cory, 5th Baronet of Coryton. Ex Philip Auction House, 24 September 1985. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Piriform body with domed filler hole, impressed circumferential bands on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 718 grams, 16 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.
