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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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Iron Age Celtic Iron Spearhead
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With lentoid-section two-edged blade, sturdy neck and short tubular socket; incised gusset detailing to neck. 180 grams, 28.5 cm
Acquired from Coincraft, London, UK. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; with collection no.IA26; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
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Piriform in profile with domed mouth, circumferential band of impressed arcading to the shoulder. 380 grams, 11.5 cm
From a specialist collection of militaria, London, UK, collected 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. -
Luristan Bronze Dagger Blade
Circa 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Comprising a slender blade with a raised midrib extending towards the short tang, broad rounded shoulders; mounted on a custom-made stand. 420 grams total, blade: 39 cm long
From the private collection of H. Norry, 1980s-1990s.
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 B.C. 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.'
