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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:
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LOT 1795
Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade
Estimate £200 - 300€230 - 350 (for guidance only)$270 - 410 (for guidance only)
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Luristan Bronze Axehead
12th-11th century B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £133
A spike-butted axehead with a short cylindrical socket with four furrowed ribs leading to four short spikes, blade with curved upper and lower edges and a convex cutting edge. 390 grams, 22 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
It is difficult to know whether this type of axe, given its high decoration in some specimens, was used as a weapon or was a symbol of rank and prestige, employed for ceremonial or cult purposes. However, considering that the concept of parade weapons did not exist in the surrounding areas in Antiquity, these axes were most probably used for both military and ceremonial purposes. -
Elamite Bronze Macehead with Winged Human and Animal Figure
2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Of cylindrical form with a raised collar at each end, one side depicting a nude male with a projecting grotesque head, the other side with a projecting ram's head with a long, curving serpent below, two crescentic wings projecting from the upper part of the socket. 285 grams, 98 mm
Acquired before 1983. Ex London gallery, 1990s. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13258-253387.
Maces in the Middle East had always had a double function since the early periods: a) as a weapon and b) as a status symbol or symbol of rank and office. The bull-headed mace, called gorz-e gavsar in Persian, was already in use in the ancient Elam and Luristan, and was also common in religious ceremonies. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Large ovoid body with impressed decoration and raised shoulder on one side; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 970 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.
