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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Chania Crete Greece
Posts: 506
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Hi, i found this rusty old hand grenade here locally together with some small cannon balls.
The size and shape reminds me very much hand grenades of the venetian period made from glass. Can anyone determine the age of this piece? |
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#2 |
Lead Moderator European Armoury
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
Posts: 9,694
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Most interesting,
I hope the experts have a say on this one! |
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NC, U.S.A.
Posts: 2,087
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No expert here, but I had to comment- that is a great piece! I have one of the later versions without the raised lip that probably had a wooden plug. Mine dates from 17th-18th c. From the look of the casting and patina to the iron, I'm suspecting this is Medieval, as grenadoes dated back to the 14th c, I believe? Yours would have had a simple long fuse vs the wooden plug of later models. I'm wondering if yours was a shipwreck pick-up?
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: The Sharp end
Posts: 2,928
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Wow! What a thing to find. Brilliant addition to a collection, congratulations!
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#5 |
(deceased)
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking
Posts: 4,310
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Hi eftihis,
Great acquisition, that one, and, right: probably Venetian or, in general, North Italian or Austria. Many thanks for sharing! P.S. Why shouldn't it be of Greek origin? Mark, I think your first guess in dating was quite correct: 17th to 18th century. No hints or contemporary sources on hand grenades seem to exist before the 16th century but I'll try and re-check that. For anybody interested in similar early grenades, please see my following thread http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=hand+grenades Best, Michael Last edited by Matchlock; 23rd September 2010 at 11:43 PM. |
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,818
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A most remarkable find and a most remarkable thread bought back to light, thanks for sharing guys.
I was surprised to see just how many of these were excavated in the link provided. Are there indications about the results and effects in combat. I sit and wonder how effective they were compared to the massive effect modern examples have. Gav |
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