Ca. 900-1200 AD.A "Greek Fire" hand grenade comprising a cream ceramic vessel with a spheroconical body, and a short, squat neck with a sloped rim. This hollow vessel is decorated with registers of stamped dots and dot-and-circle motif below a register of incised diagonal lines radiating around the neck. Globular vessels such as this example are frequently interpreted as an early type of hand grenade. It is believed that these jars could have contained an incendiary agent such as the infamous "Greek fire" which was impervious to water, making them invaluable weapons in naval battles. Unfortunately, the recipe for "Greek fire" was lost with the fall of the Byzantine empire, but it was likely a petroleum-based mixture. This item comes with a custom-made display stand.Size: L:90mm / W:140mm ; 526gProvenance: Private Oxfordshire collection; Formerly acquired on the European art market from pre-2000 collections.