Loading, please wait...
LOT 1795
Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
13 3/4 in. (245 grams, 35 cm).
Comprising a tapering leaf-shaped blade with a raised midrib and a short tapering tang.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureCf. Khorasani M.M., Arms and Armour from Iran. The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, item 283, for type.
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:
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.
LOT 1795
Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
-
Large Medieval Tanged Iron Incendiary Fire Arrowhead
Circa 13th-15th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Comprising a long slender tang and balustered neck, rectangular head with 'chisel' blade, median slot and hole for attachment of flammable material. 31.9 grams, 16.9 cm
Acquired from a USA private collector in the 1990s. Ex Buckinghamshire, UK, collection. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Piriform body with domed filler hole, impressed circumferential bands on the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 718 grams, 16 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. 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. -
Greek Lead Slingshot of Alexander the Great
336-323 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Biconical in profile with casting seam and reserved monogram 'AB = ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ' (Αlexandrou basileos), a rayed solar symbol, the so-called Argead Star, on the other side; extremely rare, first known specimen of this type. 28.6 grams, 30 mm
From a German private collection, formed since the 1980s.
The Argeads were an important Greek dynasty ruling over ancient Macedonia, with Alexander as the most prominent member of the royal house of the Argeads. The rayed solar symbol (Argead Star, Vergina Star) is interpreted as the historical royal symbol of the ancient Macedonian Dynasty of the Argeads, with its most famous member, Alexander the Great. Cf. a similar slingshot in the Musée du Louvre (INV 1497), acquired by the museum in 1825.
