Arados

50 Sheqels

Lead

Cast

Square

7.80 cm

9.60 cm

1.60 cm

Mass (g)	Mass (grain)	Date of measurement	Reference	fragmented	cleaned	reference weight
482.60	-	Dec. 31, 2017	Autopsy Charles Doyen	No	Yes	Yes
475.00	-	-	Archives Seyrig (HS 331)	No	No	No

Symbol	Technique	Direction	Position	Number	Synecdoche
Caduceus	Relief
Sign of Tanit	Relief

Little to no wear

Lightly corroded

Gerald Finkielzstejn: Square lead weight (7.8×7.5×1.6 cm). 482.6 g. Width (including handle): 9.6 cm. In several respects, this weight is unique. Handle = rounded stuck piece of metal pierced from the reverse to the obverse. Very small break below right. The obverse is defined according to the most common weights of the series which have a blank reverse, which is not the case here. Obverse: top left, unclear worn symbol or Phoenician letter; top center, caduceus ↑; right monogram of Aradus slanted; left, Sign of Tanit without base; bottom, Phoenician numbers (from right to left): two superimposed and joined 20s, 10. Reverse: center, cast triangular figure, pointed down; solid lower half, irregularly hollowed upper half (partly due to corrosion?); a solid rounded protrusion on the top. On both sides of the lower half of the triangle, two large circles (frames corroded); the left one seem to have remains of an X-shaped sign. The central symbol copies the triangular small weight denominations in Aradus (2, 5, 10 sheqels).
Archives Seyrig (HS 331): poids de bronze trouvé dans l’île de Rouad. Un angle légèrement brisé. Paraît avoir été au feu. 475 g. Épaisseur 6-7 mm.

Yes

Language	Technique	Legend type
Phoenician	Relief	Denomination, Mint

{Monogram of Arados: U+10900 + 10903 + 10905 + 10913}{Caduceus}{Sign of Tanit}

{Phoenician number 20: U+10918}{Phoenician number 20: U+10918}{Phoenician number 10: U+10917}

ʾrwd | 50 (šql).

ʾDWR

NEAR EASTERN , GREEK

FROM -300 TO -1

The date of the Aradus and Marathus weights in the 1st century BCE is based only on the fact that the reverse is blank, a feature observed in the late Hellenistic period, according to Henri Seyrig. There are very rare exceptions (as here), and the only occurrence of one example with a network of lozenges on the reverse may (tentatively) indicate that the weights were produced not late in the 1st century BCE.

Name	Date of acquisition	Inventory number
Art and History Museum (Geneva)	None	CdN 2017-003

Reference	Page/Column	Reference (number)	Plate / Figure	Comment
Seyrig (archives)	None	HS 331, 337 V	None	None

So far, unique example. In Aradus and Marathus only the city’s name appears, as monogram, and no magistrate names appear.
Pictures and a drawing are available in Seyrig’s archives (HS 331, 337 V).