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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Meyer 2001–03
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Copyright credit: Meyer 2001–03
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WEIGHT
Authority
Mint
Istros
Denomination
1/8 Mina
Material
Lead
Manufacture
Cast
Shape
Square
Length
3.50 cm
Width
3.80 cm
Height
0.55 cm
Metrology
| Mass (g) | Mass (grain) | Date of measurement | Reference | fragmented | cleaned | reference weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54.10 | - | Sept. 3, 2019 | Autopsy Louise Willocx | No | No | Yes |
| 54.11 | - | - | Meyer 2001–03 | No | No | No |
| 54.22 | - | - | Cantacuzène 1933 | No | No | No |
| 58.22 | - | - | Preda 1958 | No | No | No |
Iconography
| Symbol | Technique | Direction | Position | Number | Synecdoche |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle | Relief | LEFT | |||
| Dolphin | Relief | LEFT |
Wear
Lightly worn
Corrosion
Corroded
Handle
No
Suspension hole
No
Recarved mould
No
Recarved weight
No
Intentionally destroyed
No
Archaeological description
Ashmolean Museum: Lead weight with eagle on dolphin motif.
Meyer 2001–03: Histrian weight of the autonomous period. Square lead weight, 54.11 gr., 3.77 x 3.55 x 0.55 cm. Obv. Eagle on dolphin l., ΔA above and ΟΓΔ below, all within narrow, raised profile border. Rev. Blank. AN 2004.13. One-eight mina. Scuff marks are visible in the area of the eagle's wings and the official guarantee damosion on the obverse, and an amorphous protrusion is visible at the lower left edge of the reverse. Perhaps from the same mould as no. 1, although much better preserved. Cantacuzene recorded a very similar weight, with dents and a casting flaw in exactly the same spots, in a private collection formerly on loan to the National Museum of Antiquities, Bucharest.
Autoptic examination: Lead weight, square shape. Signs of wear and corrosion: chippings; strokes and hollows on the obverse (especially above de eagle) and on the left side. On the obverse, frame and depiction of an eagle on a dolphin to the left. Above and below, letters in relief: Δ[A] and ΟΓΔ. The reverse is blank and very slightly hollowed.
Meyer 2001–03: Histrian weight of the autonomous period. Square lead weight, 54.11 gr., 3.77 x 3.55 x 0.55 cm. Obv. Eagle on dolphin l., ΔA above and ΟΓΔ below, all within narrow, raised profile border. Rev. Blank. AN 2004.13. One-eight mina. Scuff marks are visible in the area of the eagle's wings and the official guarantee damosion on the obverse, and an amorphous protrusion is visible at the lower left edge of the reverse. Perhaps from the same mould as no. 1, although much better preserved. Cantacuzene recorded a very similar weight, with dents and a casting flaw in exactly the same spots, in a private collection formerly on loan to the National Museum of Antiquities, Bucharest.
Autoptic examination: Lead weight, square shape. Signs of wear and corrosion: chippings; strokes and hollows on the obverse (especially above de eagle) and on the left side. On the obverse, frame and depiction of an eagle on a dolphin to the left. Above and below, letters in relief: Δ[A] and ΟΓΔ. The reverse is blank and very slightly hollowed.
Autopsy
Yes
INSCRIPTION
| Language | Technique | Legend type |
|---|---|---|
| Greek | Relief | Denomination, Mint |
Fac simile
ΔΑ
ΟΓΔ
Edition
Δα(μόσιον) | ὄγδ(οον).
Monogram
ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Findspot (region)
Findspot (site)
context
CIRCUMSTANCES OF ACQUISITION
Region
City
Date of first acquisition
Dec. 31, 1996
circumstances
Meyer and Moreno 2004: In 1996 a private collector of ancient coins received a posted parcel containing 43 metal objects, supposedly lead weights from ancient Istria on the western shore of the Black Sea. These came unsolicited from an antiquities dealer based outside Britain, and given that they would otherwise most likely have been dispersed on the open market, the recipient notified the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and deposited the package at the Department of Antiquities.
DATING OF THE WEIGHT
Curatorial Section
GREEK
Time frame
FROM
-400
TO
-100
Comments on Chronology
COLLECTION HISTORY
Collection
| Name | Date of acquisition | Inventory number |
|---|---|---|
| Ashmolean Museum (Oxford) | Dec. 31, 1996 | AN 2004.13 |
| Vasile Pârvan Institute of Archaeology (Bucharest) | None | None |
| Butculescu Collection | None | None |
Bibliography
| Reference | Page/Column | Reference (number) | Plate / Figure | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantacuzène 1927–32 | 604 | 3 | fig. 3 | (same object?) |
| Preda 1958 | 451, n. 4 | None | None | None |
| Meyer 2001–03 | 51, 67 | 2 | fig. 2 | None |
| Gramaticu 2015a | 32, 47 | 35 = 36? | pl. 13/35–36 | None |
| Killen 2017a | 201 | Istr I b 5 = 9 | pl. 16/6 | None |
VARIA
Additional comment
Meyer 2001–03: Very similar weight in Cantacuzène 1933, 604, no. 3, fig. 3 (54,22 gr.) - National Museum of Antiquities Bucharest.
Cantacuzène 1927–32: Collection de feu D. Butculescu conservée au Musée national des Antiquités de Bucarest [= Institutul de Arheologie “Vasile Pârvan”].
Cantacuzène 1927–32: Collection de feu D. Butculescu conservée au Musée national des Antiquités de Bucarest [= Institutul de Arheologie “Vasile Pârvan”].
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