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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
Aristo(...), agoranomos (Istros)
Mint
Istros
Denomination
1/8 Mina
Material
Lead
Manufacture
Cast
Shape
Leaf
Length
4.35 cm
Width
5.60 cm
Height
0.80 cm
Metrology
| Mass (g) | Mass (grain) | Date of measurement | Reference | fragmented | cleaned | reference weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 74.80 | - | Sept. 3, 2019 | Autopsy Louise Willocx | No | No | Yes |
| 74.85 | - | - | Meyer 2001–03 | No | No | No |
Iconography
| Symbol | Technique | Direction | Position | Number | Synecdoche |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle | Relief | RIGHT | |||
| Dolphin | Relief | RIGHT | |||
| Hermes | Relief | RIGHT | Head | ||
| Petasos | Relief | RIGHT | |||
| Caduceus | Relief | RIGHT |
Wear
Worn
Corrosion
Lightly corroded
Handle
No
Suspension hole
Yes
Recarved mould
No
Recarved weight
No
Intentionally destroyed
No
Archaeological description
Ashmolean Museum: Lead weight, tear shaped.
Meyer 2001–03: Histrian weight of the autonomous period. Spade-shaped lead weight, 74.85 gr., 5.69 x 4.36 x 0.83 cm. Obv. Relief field with raised border, showing bust of Hermes r. with petasos and caduceus, ΟΓ above and IΣTPI below. Rev. Eagle on dolphin r., AΓOPA above and APIΣTO below. Edge folded over. AN 2004.32. One-eighth mina, as marked by the weight inscription on the front. The obverse is disfigured by one deep cut, running from the middle of the left edge over the bust of Hermes to the lower right side. Otherwise the preservation is good. The reverse is blistery, with patches of sinter. A small handle, rising from the corner where the two lobes of the heart meet, is pierced. The name of the agoranomos liable for the issuing of this specific series of weights is inscribed on the reverse. The same abbreviation appears on weight no. 7 in this collection.
Autoptic examination: Lead weight, tear or spade or heart? shape; small and flettened handle pierced for suspension. Signs of wear and corrosion: big cut on the obverse; bumps and hollows on the reverse. On the obverse, frame and depiction hardly visible in relief: Bust of Hermes to the right with petasos and caduceus. Above and below, legend in relief: OΓ and ΙΣΤΡΙ. On the reverse, light frame and depiction hardly visible in relief of an eagle on a dolphin to the right. Above and below, legend in relief: Α[ΓΟΡΑ] and AP̣IΣTỌ.
Meyer 2001–03: Histrian weight of the autonomous period. Spade-shaped lead weight, 74.85 gr., 5.69 x 4.36 x 0.83 cm. Obv. Relief field with raised border, showing bust of Hermes r. with petasos and caduceus, ΟΓ above and IΣTPI below. Rev. Eagle on dolphin r., AΓOPA above and APIΣTO below. Edge folded over. AN 2004.32. One-eighth mina, as marked by the weight inscription on the front. The obverse is disfigured by one deep cut, running from the middle of the left edge over the bust of Hermes to the lower right side. Otherwise the preservation is good. The reverse is blistery, with patches of sinter. A small handle, rising from the corner where the two lobes of the heart meet, is pierced. The name of the agoranomos liable for the issuing of this specific series of weights is inscribed on the reverse. The same abbreviation appears on weight no. 7 in this collection.
Autoptic examination: Lead weight, tear or spade or heart? shape; small and flettened handle pierced for suspension. Signs of wear and corrosion: big cut on the obverse; bumps and hollows on the reverse. On the obverse, frame and depiction hardly visible in relief: Bust of Hermes to the right with petasos and caduceus. Above and below, legend in relief: OΓ and ΙΣΤΡΙ. On the reverse, light frame and depiction hardly visible in relief of an eagle on a dolphin to the right. Above and below, legend in relief: Α[ΓΟΡΑ] and AP̣IΣTỌ.
Autopsy
Yes
INSCRIPTION
| Language | Technique | Legend type |
|---|---|---|
| Greek | Relief | Authority, Denomination, Mint |
Fac simile
ΟΓ
ΙΣΤΡΙ
Α . . . .
AP̣IΣTỌ
Edition
Ὄγ(δοον) | Ἰσ(τριανῶν) || ἀ[γορα](νόμου) | Ἀρ̣ιστο̣(– – –)
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 2004.32 |
Bibliography
| Reference | Page/Column | Reference (number) | Plate / Figure | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meyer 2001–03 | 56, 72 | 21 | fig. 21 | None |
| Gramaticu 2015a | 31, 41 | 17 | pl. 7/17 | None |
| Killen 2017a | 202 | Istr I b 13 | None | None |
VARIA