Loading, please wait...
LOT 1794
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
4 5/8 - 6 in. (150 grams total, 11.7-15.4 cm).
Comprising five tanged arrowheads with raised midribs, one with barbed shoulders. [5]
ProvenanceLondon, UK, collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp.289ff, for similar arrowheads.
FootnotesOne category of the represented arrowheads has a sharp blade, the ends of which extend to form wings or barbs, and a prominent midrib extending into a long tang that often has a stop; the blade shape varies from deltoid to more triangular. Another form has no barbs, but it has a prominent midrib and triangular blade, with a stop at the tang.
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:
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.
-
Greek Lead Slingshot with Trident of Poseidon
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Biconical in profile with casting seam and low relief trident motif to one face. 33.4 grams, 31 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with X
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Biconical in profile with casting seam and Greek legend '...X...' to one face. 30.4 grams, 37 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
Greek bullets were cast in two-part moulds. Clay and stone moulds survive; metal moulds are much rarer in the archaeological records. The mould halves carry the negative of the bullet’s shape, often in rows, so that multiple bullets can be made at once. A narrow gate at the tip of each negative lets molten lead run into the cavity. After cooling, the caster opens the mould and breaks the sprue that links the bullets. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Macedonian Star
4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Biconical in profile with casting seam and the Macedonian Star on one side. 27.8 grams, 28 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
In Greek warfare, slingers appear as psiloi, lightly equipped troops who skirmished ahead of a phalanx or alongside peltasts. Some city-states likely trained their own slingers; others were specialists. Rhodian slingers became famous in the 4th century B.C. because the islanders had a tradition of practice. In the Peloponnese, in mainland Greece, and along the Aegean coast, slingers fought in both field operations and sieges. The practice survived into the Roman period, during which specialist mercenaries, like the Rhodians or the Balearic slingers, were still in use.
