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LOT 1526
Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
1800-1600 B.C.
11 1/2 in. (174 grams, 29.2 cm).
The blade expanding towards the shoulders, a pierced rectangular-section tang.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. for the type Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, see pl.IV, no.40, from Western Iran.
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:
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LOT 1526
Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Greek Mauritanian Kingdom Lead Slingshot of King Mastanesosus
Circa 80-49 B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Bids: 13 | Current Bid: £125
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved monogram to obverse 'REX·SOS'; Neo-Punic monogram to reverse. 67.3 grams, 40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market, early 2000s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian.
This remarkable slingshot offers a rare insight into a little-known period in the history of the Kingdom of Mauretania in the first century B.C. The piece can be linked to King Mastanesosus, who is known to have shortened his name to “Sos.” He was the son of Bocchus I (c. 110–80s BC), the ruler who famously betrayed King Jugurtha of Numidia to Sulla and the Roman Republic. The inscription in Latin shows the growing influence of Rome at the time. It may even suggest that Roman slingers were part of Sosus’s army. During this period, Mauretania was already coming under Roman control and influence. Later, Bocchus II, the grandson of Sosus, supported the winning side in Rome’s civil war, and Mauretania became a client kingdom. This eventually led to its full absorption into the Roman Empire after the murder of King Ptolemy, son of Juba, by the emperor Caligula. The reverse of the slingshot shows a monogram in neo-Punic, similar to those found on coins from the same period. This is almost certainly a personal symbol or mark of Sosus himself. The use of both Latin and neo-Punic makes the piece bilingual, which is particularly interesting. -
Late Roman Period Iron Narrow Axehead
Germany, 3rd-5th century A.D.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £20
Narrow axe with curved blade and oval socket with a flat extension to the rear. 616 grams, 15.5 cm
Ex M. Spiegelberg collection, since 1991; thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous yellow cataloguing slip. -
Luristan Bronze Socketted Spearhead
Circa 1800 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Slender blade with a raised midrib and tubular socket. 222 grams, 36.5 cm
From the collection of Martin Doyle, Leverstock, UK, 1980s-2000s.
