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LOT 1870
Western Asiatic Polished Stone Macehead
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 1/2 in. (233 grams, 63 mm).
Ovoid body with a round socket.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a London, UK, gentleman, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, pl.XXXI, no.30, for similar example.
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Viking Iron Sword Pommel and Lower Guard
10th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £702
Comprising: lower guard, lentoid in plan with recessed underside, slot to accept the tang; pommel with integral upper guard, Petersen's Type X with semicircular profile and raised upper section, slot for tang in the underside. 480 grams total, 77-92 mm
London, UK, collection, formed in the late 1990s. -
Greek Mauritanian Kingdom Lead Slingshot of King Mastanesosus
Circa 80-49 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Lentoid in form with raised legend to obverse 'REX·SOS'; Neo-Punic monogram to reverse. 72.8 grams, 40 mm
Acquired on the UK art market, early 2000s. Property of a London, UK, antiquarian.
This remarkable slingshot offers a rare insight into a little-known period in the history of the Kingdom of Mauretania in the first century BC. The piece can be linked to King Mastanesosus, who is known to have shortened his name to “Sos.” He was the son of Bocchus I (c. 110–80s BC), the ruler who famously betrayed King Jugurtha of Numidia to Sulla and the Roman Republic. The Latin inscription reflects Rome's growing influence at the time. It may even suggest that Roman slingers were part of Sosus’s army. During this period, Mauretania was already coming under Roman control and influence. Later, Bocchus II, the grandson of Sosus, supported the winning side in Rome’s civil war, and Mauretania became a client kingdom. This eventually led to its full absorption into the Roman Empire after the murder of King Ptolemy, son of Juba, by the emperor Caligula. The reverse of the slingshot shows a monogram in neo-Punic, similar to those found on coins from the same period. This is almost certainly a personal symbol or mark of Sosus himself. The use of both Latin and Neo-Punic makes the piece bilingual, which is particularly interesting. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Tanged Spearhead
12th-11th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Comprising a triangular blade with a facetted, flaring neck and a rectangular-section tang. 288 grams, 30 cm
Ex Abelita family collection, 1980s-2000s.
The weapon belongs to the type 1 of the spear-head classification of Khorasani, mainly originating from Marlik or Amlash areas. Similar pieces have been dated by Stutzinger to 1200-1100 B.C.
