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LOT 1037
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowheads, Javelin Heads and Daggers
3RD MILLENNIUM-7TH CENTURY B.C.
5 1/2 - 8 1/2 in. (329 grams total, 14-21.5 cm).
Comprising ten slender tanged arrowheads, javelin heads and daggers, some lozenge-section and some with raised midribs. [10]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
For similar examples of arrowheads see Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003), pl.XLIII, nos.257 (Luristan); 261-262 (from Karkemish); for the daggers Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, items 31; for the Javelinheads, s.Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, fig.2.93, subtypes L3 B.a-b; fig.2.94 variant L3.C.a., for the type.
FootnotesMost of these blades are bipartite, but the definition of the bipartite type is not absolute as it brings together weapons of very different and unrelated designs. In fact, some weapons do not have a sufficiently characteristic shape to be interpreted as a spear, dagger, or long arrowhead. The javelin heads classified by Gernez as type Type L 3 are characterized by the simplicity of their design. They have a sharp and/or pointed active part, a flat, elliptical or rhomboidal cross-section and an elongated tang with a rectangular, square or circular section, ending in a pointed, widened, curved or folded blade.
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LOT 1037
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowheads, Javelin Heads and Daggers
Estimate £180 - 240€210 - 280 (for guidance only)$240 - 320 (for guidance only)
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Scythian Iron Akinakes Sword with Decorations
4th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Of Central Asian typology, strong hilt and narrow ogival guard with Steppe style ornamentation, tipped hilt, triangular tapering blade fitted with a central triangular blood channel with sixteen grooves. 481 grams, 58.5 cm
Ex private collection of Mr M.B., Mainz, Germany, since the 1980s. Acquired from the above, 2004.
The akinakes was a characteristic Scythian type of weaponry, which was used throughout their history (7th-3rd centuries B.C.). With the departure of the Scythians from the steppe in the 3rd century B.C., and the appearance of the Sarmatian tribes in the Northern Black Sea region in the 2nd-1st centuries B.C., Sarmatian types of bladed weapons spread in the region. This particular shape of akinakes belongs to the nomadic cultures of Central Asia. -
Elamite Bronze Crescentic Axehead
Mid 3rd millennium B.C.Estimate: £180 - 240 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £90
With slender tubular socket, horizontal upper cheek and curved lower one, scooped profile to blade with convex cutting edge. 333 grams, 12.5 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
Circa 11th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
With a piriform body and domed mouth; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 603 grams, 11.8 cm high
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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 Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also in bronze) used for Greek fire. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.