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LOT 1976
Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
11 5/8 in. (347 grams, 29.6 cm).
With an ovate blade, prominent central rib and rounded shoulders, square-section shaft with flared lateral spurs forming a collar, rectangular tang with narrow tip.
ProvenanceEx Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
LiteratureCf. Khorasani, M.M., Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Period, Tübingen, 2006, p.628, no.275, for type.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1976
Western Asiatic Bronze Spear Blade
Estimate £150 - 200€170 - 230 (for guidance only)$200 - 270 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£80 (EUR 93; USD 108) +BP*
-
Luristan Bronze Sword Blade
Circa 6th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Tapering leaf-shaped type with raised flat-section midrib in the upper third, rounded shoulders with short rectangular-section tang pierced at the upper end; lower blade lozenge-section with light bulb at the point. 358 grams, 46.8 cm
Ex Abelita collection, 1980s-2010. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £55
Including leaf-shaped, heater-shaped, barbed and other types. 291 grams total, 9.2-16.6 cm
Ex Abelita collection, 1980s-2010. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler-hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 555 grams, 10.6 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. 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.