Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade

Comprising a barrel-shaped lead body with a round-section shaft with a barbed finial. 67.4 grams, 13 cm



Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.

Lead-weighted darts known as plumbatae mamillatae (or 'breasted javelin') were short darts mounted upon a shaft of the same shape, and thrown from a short distance. A Roman soldier would typically carry around 5-6 of these darts at any one time, fastened to the back of his shield. They could be thrown overhand or underhand, with an effective throwing range of up to 60 metres by trained soldiers.

A complete set of military belt fittings of Martinovka type, comprising forty-eight elements: two massive shield-shaped buckles, the buckle plate with a central chip-carved mask-shaped decoration, the hinged prong of rectangular form with rounded terminal; twelve shield-shaped belt pendants with wavy edges and the bottom ending in a sharp angle; ten decorative rosettes; twelve belt pendants in the form of a double crescent, with mask-shaped decoration on the oval head, decorated with chip-carved comma and dot ornaments; one pendant of the same typology fitted with a circular massive ring for the suspension; two massive circular phalerae, decorated with a double cross, one ornamented with volutes at the end of the arms, the other with five massive bosses at the sides and centre; two shield-shaped pendants with projections for the fastening of elements; two small rectangular buckles; three trapezoidal openwork pendants and two further small drop-shaped pendants. 722 grams total, 16.08-79.52 mm



From the private family collection of a lady, UK; acquired in Germany mid-20th century. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13249-253196.

These belt elements, which form the fittings of at least two belts, are typical of the Roman garrisons of Black Sea and the Balkans, for the late 6th and the 7th century A.D. They were connected especially with Gothic and Alan soldiers militating in the Roman army, and considered part of the Martinovka typology by the academics. Numerous finds of these multi-part belt sets have been found in the area between the Balkans, the north-northeastern Pontus region, the Kama region in the northeast, and the Caspian Sea in the east. The range of the type includes areas controlled by the Avars and the Roman Empire, the south-Danubian region (Moesia II: Beroe, Callatis, Tropaeum Traiani, Ibida, Argamum), the Carpathian area, the northern Black Sea, the Caucasus and up to the Euphrates and other areas of Europe; these elements should therefore be seen as a ‘multi-ethnic’ or ‘international’ element. They were used to hold two types of offensive weapons: a quiver with arrows, and bladed weapons such as the spatha, and the shorter culter venatorius.

Piriform in plan with convex surface, high-relief repoussé acanthus-leaf palmette; mounting holes at the narrow end, edge chipped. 39.6 grams, 15.3 cm



From the late collection of a Cornish couple, formed from the early 1990s.