Object Description
A Byzantine, hollow, spheroconical vessel made from thick clay. This vessel has a bulbous body and wide shoulders which narrow to a thinner short rounded spout. The base of the vessel tapers to a point. Most likely this closed vessel would have been used as a hand grenade. Small and easily held, they were instrumental to the Byzantine army. This grenade is decorated with four linear bands of engraved ‘S’ shapes, two abreast running down the length of the vessel, and a single ‘S’ ring around the spout . The clay vessels were thought to have been filled with a secretive substance known as ‘Greek fire.’ A cloth fuse would have been poked through the small spout. Because of how small they are, it has been assumed that Byzantine hand grenades were either thrown by hand or launched from small catapults.
Date: Circa 9th -12th Century AD