Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1827
Viking Long-Cheeked Iron Axehead
ENGLAND, CIRCA 9TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/8 in. (541 grams, 18 cm).
Gently curved narrow blade with scoop to the lower edge, a rounded socket with lateral triangular extensions; conserved with brown wax. [No Reserve]
Provenance
Found near Repton, Derbyshire, UK, the site of an important Viking battle.
Literature
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.14 (3), for type.
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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Western Asiatic Bronze Macehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Tubular in plan with collar to mouth and base, five radiating bulbs. 138 grams, 74 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscription
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Lenticular type with casting seam to the rim, raised 'AΓΟΡΟΥ' legend (genitive for Agouros = immature, unripe). 32.7 grams, 31 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Sometimes the bullet carries a joke for the enemy. Here, the bullet bears the inscription ‘immature’, signifying that the enemy will receive not a nice fruit to eat, but an unripe fruit, a fruit he never wants to get. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead or Javelin Head with Inscribed X
Late 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Leaf-shaped with two cutting edges and a broad point, low midrib, on the face an incised 'X' in a square. 15.17 grams, 11.34 cm
Ex Guttman collection, Germany. with Christie's, 28 April 2004, no.27 (part). Acquired from Bidancient and Artifacts UK, 2009. Ex important collection of Greek artefacts, London, UK.
The letter X has been found in various Semitic/Accadic or even Philistine Inscriptions in the Levant: dated between 13th-10th centuries B.C.: on the Lachish bowl no.1, on the Ruweiseh arrowhead, on a Byblian bronze spatula, on the Ahiram graffito, at Yehimilk. This suggests that the arrow or javelin head has been made in the Levant or the Fertile Crescent.