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LOT 0337
Western Asiatic Bronze Sword
LATE 2ND-EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
18 7/8 in. (743 grams, 48 cm).
The hilt with mushroom-shaped pommel, round grip, crescentic guard with double horizontal bars, long sloping blade with rounded mid-ridge.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
See a similar sword in Christie's, The Axel Guttmann Collection of Ancient Arms and Armour, part 1, London, 2002, item 24, p.27, for the type.
FootnotesThis category of swords has been classified by Khorasani as 'swords with a mushroom pommel' and are usually characterised by a solid-cast hilt with a penannular guard, a ribbed or variously decorated grip and the conical hollow-cast mushroom pommel. Usually the blade is multi-fullered and tapers to a sharp tip. Moorey considers them to be from the end of the 2nd millennium B.C.
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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Western Asiatic Bronze Blade
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With rounded shoulders and square-sectioned mid-rib running to the blade tip; short tang with fastening hole. 255 grams, 38 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
The Luri people produced a quantity of fine metalwork, which according to Dr. Khorasani, could be due to a settled period which arose as a result of the defeat of the Elamites by the Babylonians, leaving the Luristani people in relative peace for a period of time after 1200 BC. According to Khorasani 'A culture of innovation and experimentation flourished, and the repertoire of the Luristan smiths expanded in the period between 1150–1050 BC.' -
Iron Dagger and Sabre Group
Circa 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Comprising: long, narrow single-edged blade with swept profile and long tip; short, sturdy single-edged blade with applied bronze bolster. 563 grams total, 36-61 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Piriform missile with domed filler-hole, petal-motifs radiating from the filler hole with annulets below, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade. 509 grams, 10.7 cm
From a specialist London, UK, arms and armour collection, 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.
