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LOT 1482
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
18TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
1 - 3 in. (190 grams, 24-76 mm).
Comprising triangular types with thick midrib, heater-shaped, leaf-shaped, barbed-and-tanged, paddle-shaped with a flat, comparatively wide mid-rib, and other types. [43]
ProvenanceEx London art market, 1980-1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. for similar arrow-points Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, (plate XLIII, nos.26-27, 92-93).
FootnotesSome of the represented arrowheads (paddle-shaped) were typical of the Old Babylonian Empire. The shoulders were pronounced and the arrowhead had a rectangular-section tapering tang. This simple form was popular throughout and are comparatively common finds in the Holy Land.
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AUCTIONS:
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Elaborate Canaanite Bronze 'Anchor' Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £450
Comprising a deep crescentic blade with two spurs at each end intended to brace against the haft, narrow neck and flared socket with vertical spurs to the reverse and knop finial. 305 grams, 11.2 cm wide
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Bulbous in profile with domed mouth; radiating lines beneath the neck; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 395 grams, 11.3 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 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'. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. -
Large Mesopotamian Bronze Javelin Head
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Foliate blade, rhomboidal in section, raised mid-rib, medium length stem widening at the base and forming a small stop, rectangular-section tang with bent terminal. 187 grams, 45 cm
Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The specimen belongs to the category of tripartite spears with long pointed biconvex blade and single bevelled tang. They seem to be a Mesopotamian and Susian (Elamite) variant, and this type also includes decorated blades, like the spear from Tello with the inscription 'King of Kish'.
