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LOT 1067
Western Asiatic Bronze Leaf-Shaped Spearhead
EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
9 1/4 in. (134 grams, 23.5 cm).
Having ovate blade with central rib and slender shoulders, cylindrical short shaft marked by circular grooves broading towards the end, encasing a rectangular tang with a bent end.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
Cf.Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg (2003), pl.XXXIII no.82 (Tepe-Hissar, layer
IIIC) for similar weapon;
In the 3rd millennium until the first half of the 2nd millennium in the Near and Middle East, in India, the Caucasus and Central Asia, a stalked tip was used for the spear heads, and this model developed in Mesopotamia in the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C. The main types were with a facetted blade on a volumetric pin and a leaf-shaped blade on a flat handle with holes for rivets. The same models spread almost unchanged to the Caucasus, Anatolia and Bactria.
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AUCTIONS:
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Luristan Short Sword Blade
Circa 13th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
With a broad, lentoid-section blade and wide raised flange down centre, rounded tip, straight sides, well marked shoulders with narrow tang, one hole for rivet to attach an organic hilt; mounted on a custom-made stand. 880 grams total, 38 cm wide including stand
Acquired 1980-1990s. From the private collection of H.N., Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, UK.
This kind of weapon was used in the early 2nd millennium B.C. in Mesopotamia and in Syria and as late as the mid-first millennium in Luristan. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Piriform body with domed filler-hole, marked by horizontal lines to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 355 grams, 10.3 cm
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 corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. Such were the γανωτα, vessels (sometimes also of 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. -
Medieval Iron Anti-Cavalry Caltrop Group
13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Comprising eight anti-cavalry caltrops, hand-forged with square-section spikes. 505 grams total, 8.7-10 cm
From the private collection of a London gentleman, from his grandfather's collection formed before the early 1970s.
Caltrops were scattered on battlefields in an effort to stop or slow advancing enemy cavalry or foot soldiers; regardless of how a caltrop lands, one spike is always facing upwards.
