New Lead Scale Weights from Olbia and its Chora

Abstract

 In the article scale weights of ancient time, stored in the collection of funds of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, donated by V. O. Anokhin, are published. The collection contains weights in the form of sub-square and sub-rectangular tiles made of lead and bronze, round lead weights, weights made of bronze coins that come from random finds made from the territory of Olbia and its chora, and other monuments.

For this work there were selected lead weights of sub-square and sub-rectangular shapes related to antique money-weight systems of the VI—I c. BC.

The total number of examined items is 147, selected from the general collection. Each weight was measured and studied in detail. The weight of each item was correlated with the existing monetary systems of antiquity. Thus, it was possible to determine to which of the metrological standards each particular item belongs.

The article contains a catalogue of 76 scale lead weights. A description, dimensions, weight and metrological system to which the find belongs are also mentioned.

During processing the materials, it was possible to distinguish items related to the North Pontic money-weight systems: a group of small weights of Olbian normative metrological system, as well as the early Panticapaeum, Bosporan, Chersonesus, and directly to the systems of ancient Greek and ancient Eastern centers: Phoenician, Euboea-Attica, heavy late Attica, Aeginian, Chios-Rhodesian, Corinthian.

The largest group of examined weights was the group related to the Phoenician coin-weight system; it included 20 finds. Among the weights studied, Olbian metrological system is represented by 14 scale tiles. The early Panticapaeum and the Chios-Rhodesian system consist of 10 items each. The group of Attica weights included 8 finds. 6 weights belong to the Bosporan group. The Corinthian regulatory weight system is represented in the collection by four items. Chersonesus weighing system is represented by two examples. Also, during the research, it was possible to separate out one weight each related to the Samos, heavy late Attica and Euboea-Attica systems