A10 by Artmark

Meniu

Buying or Selling
Contact
My account
Hrvatski
English

Auctions

Current Auctions
Future Auctions
Auctions Results
Benefit auction

Discover

Evaluation department

Art consultants

About Us

Company Artmark's History Events at the Palace Council of excellence Experts IMA Scholarship Program Advantages of investing in art How to start collecting art Art market pitfalls Rankings and statistics Shareholding and management Comissaire-priseurs Careers Annual Reports Audit Reports News







1Т. Dacian Sword (Sica), with scabbard fragment, 1st century BC - 1st century AD, museum piece

The photos of the lot are informative and indicative, and cannot provide a highly detailed view of the object from all angles. We recommend a careful physical inspection of the lot before bidding.

1Т. Dacian Sword (Sica), with scabbard fragment, 1st century BC - 1st century AD, museum piece

Starting price:
EUR 700
Sold
EUR 3.000

steel, scabbard l=36 cm; sheath l=27 cm

PROVENANCE

The piece was purchased from an auction house in Brentwood, Great Britain. The owner has all the acquisition documents, and copies of these, with personal data and prices erased, will be made available to the buyer.

The Sica was a short sword or long dagger used by the Thracians, Dacians, and Illyrians of Antiquity, but also in Ancient Rome. In the oldest preserved representations, the Sica appears as a curved sword. Various copies of the "sica" have been found in several countries, such as Albania, Romania, Bosnia, Bulgaria and Serbia. The image of the sica sword can also be seen on Trajan's Column, including on the metope depicting the suicide of Decebal. The Sica had a curved shape and was intended to hit the enemy alongside the shield's edge, causing cuts or stabbing him from behind. In the Roman Empire, in gladiator fights, the Thraex would usually face the Murmillo, who was armed with Gladius and a large shield, and the first one's equipment with Sica was considered essential to balance the chances and to increase the spectacle of the confrontation. The Sica represents a significant historical artifact, which, due to its role in the Thracian world, contributes to understanding the social and military mechanisms of that society. Also, its distinctive spiritual dimension helps to decipher a new facet of this population's religious mosaic. Of all the curved weapons used by the Thracians of that era, the Sica is the only one that links the Thracians in the south with those in the north of the Danube, being equally distributed on both banks of the river. The handle is fragmentary.

For clarifications regarding the bidding procedure, hammer price costs, guarantee, payment, and collection terms for the winning lot, we recommend carefully reading/re-reading the Bidding Regulations.

For additional information regarding the lot and the auction, please contact the Art Consultants Department.

Do you have a similar item for sale? Contact us. → How to bid online? →
SESSION
Tue, 24 June 2025 18:00

Similar lots

Plaque "Bringing the Monitors into the Country", engraver Hans Schafer, Vienna, 1906-1907, silver, rare piece
Sold

Plaque "Bringing the Monitors into the Country", engraver Hans Schafer, Vienna, 1906-1907, silver, rare piece

EUR 4.250
Cigarette box that belonged to Petru Groza and Cuban "Cuaba" cigar, originating from the collection of the family of the former Prime Minister of Romania, Petru Groza.

190. Cigarette box that belonged to Petru Groza and Cuban "Cuaba" cigar, originating from the collection of the family of the former Prime Minister of Romania, Petru Groza.

    Starting price: EUR 150
    Sold EUR 150
Lot consisting of five 5 Lei coins, 1880 and 1881, silver

50. Lot consisting of five 5 Lei coins, 1880 and 1881, silver

    Starting price: EUR 200
    Sold EUR 400