Roman-Byzantine Bronze Official Weight Nomisma Standard Antiquity 2.93g Authentic
Authentic ancient artifact, guaranteed genuine and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Registered Holy Land find.
Culture: Late Roman / Early Byzantine Empire
Date: Circa 4th–6th Century AD
Material: Bronze (Copper Alloy)
Type: Square Commercial Weight / Exagium Solidi (Nomisma) Fraction
Weight: 2.93 grams
This is a highly precise and well-preserved square bronze weight dating to the transition between the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods. The face of the weight is decorated with an official engraved double-circle (annular) motif centered with a dot. This "bullseye" design was an standardized mark used throughout the Byzantine East to indicate an official, verified weight for the weighing of gold coinage and high-value commodities.
The weight of 2.93 grams is significant, as it corresponds to a specific fraction of the Byzantine Nomisma (Solidus) standard. During this period, the state exerted strict control over the economy, requiring merchants and tax collectors to use certified weights to prevent the clipping or debasement of the empire's gold currency.
The artifact displays a deep, dark "ebony" or "river" patina, characteristic of long-term burial in stable, anaerobic soil conditions. Its square, low-profile form is the classic diagnostic shape for Byzantine commercial administration.
The weight displays a genuine, "hard" archaeological patina with deep-seated mineralization bonded to the bronze core. The engraved circles show authentic manual tooling with slight irregularities and internal oxidation consistent with 1,500 years of age. The edges show "soft" wear from centuries of commercial use. No modern mechanical filing, casting seams, or artificial chemical washes are present.
The British Museum: Registration Number 1980,0601.10 (Byzantine square bronze weights).
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Accession Number 1993.165 (Byzantine weights with annular motifs).
Dumbarton Oaks Collection: Byzantine Weights, Catalog Number 34.
Hendy, M. F., Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy c. 300–1450.
Entwistle, C., Byzantine Weights: An Introduction.
Kisch, B., Scales and Weights: A Historical Outline.
Extremely Fine. The weight is structurally sound with no loss of metal. The engraved denomination marks are perfectly centered and deeply legible. The patina is stable and aesthetically superior, offering a "cabinet-level" specimen of Byzantine economic history.
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