Ancient and Medieval Artifacts

[Numisnewbie]

(Restitutor, if an artifacts thread won't be allowed here, feel free to remove it, but I really enjoyed seeing ancient artifacts from other members)

 

I'll start with a bronze stylus that was sold as a 1st-2nd century Roman stylus. It's just over 5-1/4" long, so it's longer than many I've seen. Objects like this (much like coins) fascinate me because of the history they could tell of the people who handled and used it. I'll keep it coinlike and include my same-era 1st century Vespasian:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2022 by Numisnewbie
resizing photos

[Alegandron]

Fantastic! @Numisnewbie

[UkrainiiVityaz]

 

Skythian spearpoints from Kherson in now Russian occupied southern Ukraine.  These are from 3-4th century BCE and may have possibly circulated as a form of currency.

[UkrainiiVityaz]

 

Ancient Egyptian scarab in faience - when I bought this years ago they were fairly easy to find and not very costly.

[Alegandron]

Egypt 16th-11th C BC Scarab -Amun  Create for Thee All Children- 17x12mm ex DeVries Collection Flinders Petrie Buttons and Design Scarabs pg21 679-680 PlateXII

[Spaniard]

17 minutes ago, UkrainiiVityaz said:

Skythian spearpoints from Kherson in now Russian occupied southern Ukraine.  These are from 3-4th century BCE and may have possibly circulated as a form of currency.

They are interesting?...What size are they?....With the through hole a form of currency is feasible....Not seen these before so thanks for sharing..

@Numisnewbie....That's a beautiful example....I do like how you've displayed it....

Here's a Roman fibula...

Bronze 32mm diameter with a hinged pin and are More commonly known as a Disc Brooch. This type of brooch was not popular outside of the Roman provincies and was used around the 1st to the 2nd century AD...Due to the design it was probably not used for holding cloth in place but more as a decorative feature..

 

[CPK]

I love ancient artifacts! Here are a couple from my collection. The obligatory scarab:

 

 

And some Roman weapons:

 

 

[happy_collector]

I like small-sized ancient artifacts. They are nice complements to ancient coins. Here is a Hellenistic bronze figurine of Harpocrates, which I purchased last year from Harlan Berk. The figurine now stands right in front of me at my work desk. ☺️

Hellenistic Bronze Figure of Harpocrates, ca. 2nd Century BC. 
Harlan Berk 217th Buy or Bid Sale. December 2021. 
Purchased in Paris in the early 1950's. 
H. 3 3/8" (8.6 cm).

Edited May 30, 2022 by happy_collector

[Alegandron]

ARROW HEADS:

 
China Xinjiang Warring States Period 475-221 BCE Arrowhead socketed leaf shaped biblade w grooves nailhole bronze 36x10mm 3.9g

 
Scythia 2 AE Arrowheads 7th-3rd C BC Trilobate Lower Danube 21-25mm


SLING STONES:

 
Roman Sling Stone 200 BCE - 400 CE Almond Shaped PB lead 34x14mm 42.4g

 
Roman Sling Stone 200 BCE - 400 CE Almond Shaped PB lead 37x14mm 41.2g

The FOUNDATION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE: ROMAN CONCRETE!

 
Rome ISCA Legio II Augusta 75-300 CE Caerleon Concrete 2 pcs 26x21mm ea


CHINESE CAST COIN MOLD:

 
China Wu Zhu coin clay mold unearthed in SanMenXia City in HeNan Province full obverse impression partial second impression probly H-8.6 110-90 BCE

[Kamnaskires]

Thank you, Numisnewbie, for starting this thread. I'm sure that for a lot of us the pathway to collecting artifacts started with collecting coinage. I realize Res et al. may prefer to keep the focus here on the coins ("Ancient Coin Chat," after all) but, oh, how nice it would be to have an artifacts forum.

 

I'll contribute here with two that are neither my favorites nor my nicest - not even close. But they are my most recent pickups. Both were delivered the past week or so.

 

Greek Oil Lamp #3; c. 3rd – 1st century BC; 57.15 mm (w) x 86 mm (l) x 38 mm (h); (2 ¼” x 3 3/8” x 1 ½”)

 

AE Spear Butt (Counterpoise) #05; Western Asia (likely NW Iran); Early first millennium BC; 21.92cm (8.63”)

 

[thenickelguy]

A jar which might be from Iran over 3000 years ago.

I bought it as a Pre Columbian Jar with Symbolic Birds.

Bob L helped me out with some likely identification.

"Carinated jars of this form - or similar - with buff surfaces and dark brown painted decoration, even sometimes including wavy lines and simplified animal forms, were produced in ancient Iran of the second millennium BC"

I also learned what Carinated means. It has shoulders shaped like this <  >

[ominus1]

...some very kool artifacts here 🙂

[Cinco71]

This site definitely needs a dedicated ancient artifacts forum.  I don't collect them myself (yet), but I am interested in learning about that type of collecting.

[ValiantKnight]

I have a couple of rings and other smaller artifacts that I'll post soon, but here are my two favorites from my very small artifact collection.

 

This was described by the seller as a Roman terracotta head from the 1st to 2nd century AD.

(the bottom photo is a side-back view)

[Petar_rc13]

I've got a door decoration that I believe is from either the middle ages or the early modern period. 

[jdmKY]

My recent visit to Egypt inspired me to “sell the farm” for this purchase 

This bronze Osiris is nearly a foot tall, completely intact, and unrepaired. The photos are the seller’s - Hixenbaugh Ancient Art, NYC. I’ve always been fascinated by Egyptian art, but after visiting, my interest went to a whole new level. Osiris has a place of honor in our house and I’m humbled to be his custodian for this portion of his life. He’s from the Third Intermediate Period, 1070-664 BC.

[DANTE]

Here's my latest non-coin acquisition. Because of export licence-issues outside the EU it presently resides in at my sister's house in Holland, so I haven't been able to examine it in hand yet.

Sold as part of a pestle. It may well be, but I like to examine it before passing judgement.

Judging from the pics, it has remarkable versatility for such a small object.

Viewed sideways, it's an uncoditional 'thumbs up': 

 

while the frontal view suggests something completely different:   

                       

Joking aside, I'm looking forward to receiving it.

Roman, marble 2-3cent AD. Thumb. Sold as: part of a pestle. Height 6cm. without stand.

 

[Alegandron]

EGYPTIAN SCARABAE:

(I collect mainly HEART SCARABS and ROYAL SCARABS)



Egypt Amenhotep III Scarab 1390-1352 BCE cartouch Neb Maat Ra 43.37g 45mm ex Gustave Mustake


Egypt 21st Dynasty Scarab 16x11mm Pharoah Neterkheperre 986-967 BCE ex DeVries collection George Fraser pg 41 #329 Plate XII
Ex: @Ken Dorney


Egypt SCARAB Middle Kingdom 2065-1650 BCE Scarabeaus Sphinx


Egypt Scarab Pamai Pamay 830 - 773 BCE 8th Pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty 960 - 766 BC High Priest of Ma'at.


Egypt SCARAB Seti I ca 1291-1278 BCE 19th Dynasty ex Zuzim


Egypt SCARAB Thuthmosis III ca 1504-1450 BCE ex CNG ex Hendin


Egyptian basalt heart scarab, Late Period, c. 664 - 332 BCE 1.9 cm. Ex Boston Museum of Fine Arts

[airhead1983]

1 hour ago, DANTE said:

Here's my latest non-coin acquisition. Because of export licence-issues outside the EU it presently resides in at my sister's house in Holland, so I haven't been able to examine it in hand yet.

Sold as part of a pestle. It may well be, but I like to examine it before passing judgement.

Judging from the pics, it has remarkable versatility for such a small object.

Viewed sideways, it's an uncoditional 'thumbs up': 

 

while the frontal view suggests something completely different:   

                       

Joking aside, I'm looking forward to receiving it.

Roman, marble 2-3cent AD. Thumb. Sold as: part of a pestle. Height 6cm. without stand.

 

Thumbs up!

This is my brother’s bronze thumb from a Roman statue.  It was found in Cordoba, Spain. 

Erin
 

 

[DANTE]

Nice!😊 

I know that some of these thumbs/fingers were made for pestles. Here's a pic:

Roman Bronze Thumb-Form Pestle - Ancient Roman Antiquities | Ancient & OrientalAncient & Oriental

I'm looking forward to examining mine!

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by DANTE

[thenickelguy]

Two thumbs up!

[JeandAcre]

Brilliant OP and thread, @Numisnewbie, with an opening collective salvo to match!  @jdmKY, that would be a benignly Insane Osiris even if was Saite.  The fact that it's from a key interval just before that just makes it that much more staggering.  The condition is incredible.  I have to breathe for a minute.  @Alegandron, your scarabs are incredible too; the range, chronologically and thematically, is amazing.  And thanks for turning me on to The Time Machine on VCoins, where I got my one ushabti, from the same period as @jdmKY's Osiris.  ...And @DANTE, Seriously, the website you linked to is awesome, too.  I like how the dealers who know what they're talking about tend to have the sanest prices.

I'll need to get a little more organized to post any of my stuff, but I was thinking we need some medieval up in this house.  Stay tuned....

Edited June 1, 2022 by JeandAcre

[DonnaML]

Wonderful artifacts on this thread! Rather than re-posting all my own photos of artifacts I own, I will probably just post links to threads on Coin Talk where I posted them previously. It's the lazy woman's way, but so be it!

[JeandAcre]

Who said anything, Ever, about laziness being gender specific?  Getting No traction with that, At All.

[Spaniard]

@Restitutor....Is it possible to set up a sub forum for artifacts?

I think there is quite a lot of interest here...