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LOT 1387
Western Asiatic Style Dagger Group
20TH CENTURY A.D.
9 1/8 - 9 1/4 in. (425 grams total, 23.2-23.7 cm).
Each a curved steel blade with two fullers, stamped ornament; waisted bronze grip with applied bone panels, tendril ornament; cast scabbard with suspension rings, advancing warrior with scimitar to each face. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired during the 1960s.
From an old North London oriental and ethnographical collection.
From the property of a late Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Lead Slingshot Group
1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
A mixed group of four lentoid-section biconical lead slingshot, three fitted with iconic winged thunderbolts on one side, and one with the Tanit goddess symbol, possibly alluding to a Balearic-Punic origin. 155 grams total, 28-30 mm
From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman; acquired in the 1990s.
The slingshots are belonging to the type IIb of the Völling classification. The practice of inscribing slingshots developed early, in 4th century BC Greece. Most inscriptions are names (in full or abbreviated) of generals or commanders of units of slingers. Some are slogans of the contesting sides. Individual letters occasionally appear, sometimes in conjunction with a name or motif or numbers. -
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. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Ovoid in profile with rounded base; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 922 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.
