Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1575
Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger Blade
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
151/8 in. (250 grams, 38.5 cm).
With a prominently curved guard, extending out from the ricasso of the blade and partly frames the hilt, a thick midrib extending slightly above the ricasso where it held the hilt.
Provenance
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
Literature
See similar swords in Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp.99-100.
Footnotes
The hilt of such swords was made separately, and unfortunately, is nearly always missing from the archaeological records. Similar daggers had a northern Iranian background, and excavated examples have been recorded from the South Caspian Area from Tomadjan and Ghalekuti.
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
-
Roman 'Consular' Lead Slingshot
1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Fusiform shot with casting nipple at each end, low-relief legend 'COS' to one face and traces of letters on the other. 38 grams, 36 mm
From the collection of a London antiquarian, formed since the 1980s.
The shot (Völling type 1C) is marked with the abbreviation COS, meaning CO(N)S(UL), the highest military magistrate of the Roman Res Publica. The projectiles were made of different materials: lead (glandes) or pottery or stone (lapides missiles). -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Ovoid body with impressed ring to the shoulder, domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 251 grams, 84 mm
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'.
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. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Including barbed-and-tanged, leaf-shaped, spade-shaped and other types. 339 grams total, 7.9-14 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s.