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LOT 0260
Western Asiatic Bronze Sword Blade
MID 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
15 1/4 in. (384 grams, 38.7 cm).
Two-edged leaf-shaped blade with short rectangular tang, corrugated midrib extending almost to the tip and flared at the shoulders.
ProvenanceFrom a London collection, early 2000s.
LiteratureCf. Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 2, London, 2004, item 36, p.33.
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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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
A piriform missile with ribbed filler-hole, diagonals and impressed discs to the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 928 grams, 14 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. 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. -
Eastern Roman Tinned Bronze Composite Belt Mount
8th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Displaying openwork floriate decoration within a tongue-shaped frame; two pierced attachment lugs to the rear. 27.9 grams, 93 mm
From the collection of a North American gentleman, formed in the 1990s.
The belt is of composite type, decorated with scrollwork in Byzantine style. Many authors discuss the possibility that these belts were produced in the Eastern Roman capital or that they were made in the workshops of the Avar Khaganate, maybe with Roman matrices for producing sheet ornaments. -
Elamite Decorated Bronze Axehead
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
With a slender, scooped blade, a round socket with a ribbed outer flange, and three lobed extensions to the rear of the socket with low-relief decorative bands. 360 grams, 10.4 cm
French collection, 1980s. Acquired on the London art market. Private collection, London, UK.
