9th-11th century AD. A hollow ceramic piriform vessel with conical top and thick rim, narrow mouth and conical base, intended to be filled with explosive liquid and wick, used as a hand grenade; vertical bands of lobes on a field of stamped pellets. Cf. Arendt, W. Irene Granaten des 13-14. Jahrhunderts, die an der Wolga gefunden sind, Zeitschrift fur Historische Waffen-und Kostumkunde, 11 (1926-8), p.42; Arendt, W. Die Spharisch-konischen Gefasse aus Gebranntem Ton, ibid.; Ayalon, D. Gunpowder and Firearms in the Mamluk Kingdom, London, 1956, p.16. 896 grams, 16.5cm (6 1/2"). Property of a Suffolk collector; formerly acquired on the European art market in the 1990s.