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LOT 1347
Western Asiatic Bronze Javelin Head
LATE 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
12 3/4 in. (220 grams, 32.3 cm).
Featuring a tripartite weapon with short, narrow leafy blade, elongated stem decorated by embossed geometric lines and folded tang.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf. Gernez, G., L’armament en métal au Proche et Moyen-Orient: des origines a 1750 av. J.C., Paris, 2007, fig.2.91, subtype L2 E.a.
FootnotesThe points within this typology are biconvex or leaf-shaped, not very sharp. These types of spears have been found in the tombs of Palestine from Tell el-'Ajjul (tomb 227) to the sites of the central plains and the banks of Jordan: Yavne, 'Ain Samiya, Jebel Qa'aqir, tombs G 83 and M 13 of Jericho, tombs 2100 and 2111 of Lachish. All are dated to the last two centuries of the 3rd millennium.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1347
Western Asiatic Bronze Javelin Head
Estimate £250 - 350€290 - 410 (for guidance only)$340 - 470 (for guidance only)
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Anglo-Saxon Iron Socketted Spearhead
5th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Lentoid-section leaf-shaped blade with slender neck and long closed socket; Swanton's Group D1. 190 grams, 26 cm
Found near Wetwang, East Yorkshire, UK. Acquired circa 2005. Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
A small number of leaf-shaped blades measuring between some 16 and 28 cm in length are similar to the smaller leaf-shaped pieces of the Swanton series C, except that they tend to be more slender overall. The socket is always narrowly split up its entire length. -
Medieval Swallowtail Iron Arrowhead
14th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With two splayed long barbs, twisted neck and split socket. 15.7 grams, 96 mm
Acquired prior to 2000. Ex private collection, Cambridgeshire, UK. Property of a Kent lady collector. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Piriform body with segmented shoulder and impressed roundels, domed filler-hole, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 759 grams, 12 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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.
