Decorated Byzantine Terracotta Fire Grenade

Item Description

C. 9th-11th century AD

A nice Byzantine hand grenade with a hollow bulbous body decorated with concentric circles and vertical grooves between and a pointed base to finish. It has a short neck and a thick rim with a small mouth. The grenade would have been filled with explosive liquid known as ‘Greek fire’ and a wick, and used in battle as a hand grenade.

Repair to nozzle with some chips to surface otherwise a nice example with good detail and some earthy surface deposits.

Provenance: Ex North London gentleman collection from 1980’s-1990’s.

Size: 120mm height approx

SKU: DEN-N689

£225.00

No Longer Available