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LOT 1055
Viking Period Bearded Type Axehead
CIRCA 9TH-11TH CENTURY A.D.
7 7/8 in. (855 grams, 20 cm).
A hand-forged iron skeggöx (bearded axe) with asymmetrical triangular section narrow blade widening to a broad bevelled edge with square chin, curved edge, flared wings to the scooped socket and dorsal bar. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1971-1972.
From the collection of the vendor's father.
Property of a London, UK, collector.
Cf. Arbman, H., Birka I: Die Gräber, Uppsala, 1940, pl.14, item 3; Sedov, B.B., Finno-Ugri i Balti v Epokhi Srednevekovija, Moscow, 1987, table V, items 16, 17, 20.
FootnotesIron axeheads of this typology show a sub-trapezoidal asymmetrical blade, often perforated through the centre. They are characterised by two projections spurs from the top and the bottom of the back of the shaft-hole.
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Luristan Sword with Blood Channels
Late 2nd-early 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
A tanged bronze sword of triangular shape with multiple fullers tapering to a pointed tip, the tang forming an extension of the thick ridged midrib. 295 grams, 42 cm
Exceptional quality.
with John Hewitt. Ex Maurice Braham, acquired from the above. Lord Alistair McAlpine collection.
The blade belongs to a sword probably made in a Luristan workshop, once fitted with a conical pommel and a crescentic guard. The metalworking techniques used in making bronze weapons in Luristan were very complex. Surfaces were often finished in repoussé work, and some of the weapons were chased, others engraved. -
Babylonian Duck-Billed Axehead
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
A bronze duck-billed axehead with a curved, beak-shaped blade, with two pierced eyes and a raised ridge down the centre. 170 grams, 10 cm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Paris Gallery.
This axe corresponds to the type H4B of the Gernez classification. Several of these models, with their moulds, are known from the Levant, like those in Byblos, Ras Shamra, and Tell Arqa. On the other hand, a workshop level II of the Kültepe karum delivered two moulds, showing a local production of arms intended either for export or for the inhabitants originating from Mesopotamia or the Levant. This sub-type of eye-axes is characteristic of the Middle Bronze Age 1 (2050-1750 B.C.). -
Marlik Spearhead with Pronounced Ridge
14th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £114
A heavy bronze spearhead comprising an oval blade with gently curved shoulders and strong midrib, flat rectangular-section tang tapering to a curved end. 432 grams, 45.8 cm
Fine condition.
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980-2015.
The spearhead belongs to the type V of the heavy spearheads, similar to the ones excavated by Dr. Negahban in Tomb 47 (Trench XXIIE) of the Marlik necropolis. The heavy spearheads, cast in one piece, usually have an oval blade with rounded gently curved shoulders and a rounded midrib near the tang.
